Accidental Revision
by slackerD
Summary: Claire probably should have listened to Aunt Lily. Time travel is serious business. She's 25 years in the past and in one thoughtless moment, she's destroyed her moms' relationship. But Claire can definitely fix it. She hopes.
1. Chapter 1

**Title:** Accidental Revision  
 **Author:** slacker_d  
 **Pairing/Characters:** OFC, Beca/Aubrey, Lily,  
 **Summary:** Claire probably should have listened to Aunt Lily. Time travel is serious business. She's 25 years in the past and in one thoughtless moment, she's destroyed her moms' relationship. But Claire can definitely fix it. She hopes.  
 **A/N:** I've seen a few bechole fics where Emily is their child who travels back in time to make sure they get together. So naturally, I had to try something similar with mitchsen. Takes place during first movie, but uses things from the second.  
 **2nd A/N:** This fic wouldn't exist without kiarcheo. A thousand thank yous for helping me figure this craziness out and then going over it to make sure the craziness actually makes sense.

Chloe and Aubrey are the last to leave Beca's dorm room after the impromptu Bellas' meeting. The moment that Beca's door is shut, Chloe stops. Aubrey takes several steps down the hall before she realizes that Chloe isn't at her side. She spins to face the red head, the unspoken question obvious on her face.

"You need to go back in there and talk to Beca," Chloe orders.

"About what?" Aubrey asks.

Chloe opens her mouth and then closes it, taking a moment to compose her thoughts. Finally she says, "I just think things would be easier, for both of you, if you sat down and tried to have a civilized conversation about the set list."

"I'm not changing the set list, Chloe," Aubrey reminds her, crossing her arms as her posture tenses.

"As if I could forget," Chloe huffs, just barely refraining from rolling her eyes.

"Then what possible good could come from me going back in there?" Aubrey questions, the anxiety and anger rising in her voice.

"Wouldn't it be better to hash it out now? Have it over and done with?" Chloe asks. "Just the two of you discussing it and not taking up anymore rehearsal time? I know how much that bothers you."

"In her dorm room?" Aubrey scoffs. "Where she'll have home field advantage?"

"I thought Posens used disadvantages to their benefit," Chloe smirks. "Isn't that what you're always telling me?"

Aubrey scowls, but doesn't reply.

"You know I'm right, Bree," Chloe continues.

Sighing, Aubrey relaxes slightly. "Why is this so important to you, Chloe?"

"Because it'll make things easier," Chloe replies.

"For you."

"For everyone," Chloe counters. "The rest of us don't enjoy listening to the two of you argue every rehearsal."

Aubrey huffs as she uncrosses her arms.

"Please, Aubrey," Chloe pleads. "For me."

Aubrey tries to fight her natural instinct to cave because of Chloe's pout, but she finally wilts and nods. Gleeful, Chloe barely manages to refrain from bouncing with joy. Instead, the red head steps aside and gestures towards Beca's closed door. Though only half a dozen paces, Aubrey trudges back to Beca's room and achingly slow, knocks harshly.

Chloe slips out of sight as the door swings open. There are no words exchanged as Beca and Aubrey eye each other for a long moment, before Beca moves aside and Aubrey steps inside. Once the door clicks shut, Chloe starts down the hallway, humming to herself.

Inside the dorm room, Beca asks, "What can I do for you, Aubrey?" as she self consciously tugs on the t-shirt she'd hastily pulled on before opening the door.

Taking in Beca's rumpled appearance, Aubrey's brain—for once—doesn't list a dozen insults, like it usually does. Taking a deep breath, she replies, "I was hoping we could talk about the set list."

Relaxing slightly, Beca nods and stays quiet, letting Aubrey speak first.

This acquiescence from Beca has Aubrey offering what she considers a friendly smile as she speaks. "Now while I... appreciate your enthusiasm about our set list, I simply cannot accept your suggestions. This is my fourth year of competitive a capella and though the Bellas have never taken home an ICCA trophy, I have witnessed many championship performances and I know what will win."

"I know, but—"

"I am not finished," Aubrey tells Beca.

Grimacing, Beca crosses her arms tightly, obviously irritated.

"Getting to the finals and proving we are just as good as those..." Aubrey barely refrains from calling the Treble Makers while she truly thinks they are. Instead, she takes several deep breaths before continuing. "I—we have a legacy to uphold. And I take that job very seriously."

Beca scoffs loudly, but doesn't speak.

Aubrey glowers at her for a moment before continuing. "Therefore, we will be doing the set list I have chosen."

Beca waits a beat before asking, "May I speak now?"

Aubrey nods.

"Look, I don't know a lot about traditional or legacy—"

"Obviously."

Beca raises an eyebrow, barely holding back a smirk. "But I do know music. And how to make it memorable. And that's what we need to be, to make it to the finals. We need to stand out, be different and become unforgettable. With your set list, I'm sorry, but we're just an act the audience wishes they could fast forward."

"You're basing that on your opinion of a capella," Aubrey replies. "As someone who's never been in a competition, you're in no position to truly judge—"

"Having never been in a competition is my strength," Beca interjects. "That means I see things from a new perspective—"

"New isn't necessarily better," Aubrey argues.

"And just because something's a tradition, doesn't mean it's right or will work," Beca counters.

They've somehow found their way into each other's space, glaring and not backing down.

"Why won't you let this go?"

"Why won't you listen to anyone else?"

They continue to inch closer and closer.

"Why are you so obstinate?"

"Why are you so rigid?"

They are now barely an inch apart, eyes locked, and their height difference has never been more apparent. Neither seems bothered by their proximity, entirely focused on out glaring the other.

"You are the most infuriating, willfully insolent person I've had the displeasure of meeting."

"Yeah, well you're an overbearing, pig headed despot."

The minuscule space between them vanishes as their lips meet in a frenzied, heated kiss that is messy and aggressive as they instinctually meld together. After a long moment, they pull apart, breathing heavily as they stare at each other in shock.

And then they're kissing again, slower and more sure. Beca's hands find Aubrey's waist, gripping tightly and pulling her closer. Aubrey sucks lightly on Beca's bottom lip as she cups the brunette's face and gently caresses her checks with her thumbs.

They kiss for several minutes, lost in each other's lips, the way they fit together. The slamming of the door across the hall causes them to stop, both turning towards the loud noise. When they return their attention to each other—the moment gone—they both instantly let go of each other and step back, hearts pounding, not sure what to think. Still breathing heavily, they stare at each other and continue to back away from each other until Aubrey is pressed against the door and Beca is backed against the wall.

"I should go," Aubrey finally sputters.

"Yeah," Beca agrees, nodding almost excessively.

They stare at each other for another long moment before Aubrey reaches behind her, groping for the door handle. Beca doesn't offer to help her, instead trying to further press herself against the wall.

It takes four tries, but Aubrey eventually manages to open the door. Her eyes are still locked with Beca's. Taking a deep breath, the blonde spins and flees the room, letting the door slam shut behind her.

Once the door is shut, Beca lets herself relax for a beat before rushing to make sure it's locked. She leans against it, sighing as she tries to comprehend what just happened.

On the other side of the door, Aubrey stares at the now closed door for a beat before hurrying down the hall, not quite sure what to think about what just happened.


	2. Chapter 2

My name is Claire Mitchell-Posen. I'm nineteen years old and a freshman at Barden University. I have two moms, Aubrey Posen and Beca Mitchell who fostered me after the state took me away from my birth mother, and eventually adopted me.

According to my moms, it's a complete fluke that they got together, the odds up are there with winning the lottery or being struck by lightning. It also makes the fact that they're still together twenty-four years later even more of a miracle. My Aunt Chloe calls it a love story for the ages while my Aunt Amy says it's the epitome of sexual tension. She usually has more to add, but I never stick around to hear it; Aunt Amy has a tendency to get graphic and I really don't need those images.

Apparently my moms met in college, didn't see eye to eye, sang acapella and somehow managed to fall in love. There's more to the story of course and I've heard a few different versions over the years, depending on who's telling the story, Aunt Chloe, Aunt Amy, Aunt Lily or Aunt Stacie.

They're not really my Aunts, that's just always how my moms have referred to them. Or rather, Aunt Chloe told me to call her that and everyone followed suit. Because Aunt Chloe's declarations have a way of becoming law.

My mom owns and runs The Lodge at Fallen Leaves, a corporate retreat where all sorts of fortune 500 companies send their employees for team building exercises, because according to both my moms, she has a knack for barking orders and bending people's wills. It's located on a huge square of land with our house at the east edge of the property. Mom needs to be nearby most of the time, so she and ma decided it would be easier to just live there.

I spent my childhood, swimming in the nearby lake, wanting to try the various obstacle courses and eventually being taught to shoot skeet by mom. Even though she spent most of her days yelling and ordering people around, I still wanted to hang out with her. It was hilarious to see so many people doing whatever she told them to do.

Ma is a music producer. The basement of our house is her studio. Her specialty is jump starting fading careers. If musicians are looking for a new sound and/or image, she's the one they seek out.

As for me, I have ma's sense of humor, mom's intense focus and a love of music that comes from both of them, as well as my Aunts. Sure, I'm tone deaf, but that doesn't matter to my moms.

My best friend Riley still gives me a hard time for going to the same college my moms did, but to me, it just makes sense. I've been hearing stories about Barden University and the Bellas for so long, how could I not want to attend. Though I know mom wishes I could have joined the Bellas, I'm kind of glad I can't. Not only would I be a double legacy, I'm also the daughter of two women who helped earn the Bellas their very first ICCA trophy. And ma captained the Bellas to three more championships after that. It would have been a lot to live up to. And while I might not be a stress vomiter like mom, I definitely don't do well under that kind of pressure.

I've heard so many stories about their time at Barden, though mostly from my Aunts. My moms will tells stories, but it's usually only after a great deal of prompting from someone else, usually Aunt Chloe.

Choosing to go to Barden meant seeing places and things I've learned about in stories I basically have memorized. It was a little weird at first, but it also meant that I immediately felt at home at Barden.

 **…**

The one thing I've missed while at Barden has been my unofficial internship with Aunt Lily. She was the one who helped foster my love of science and engineering. My moms supported my interests, but Aunt Lily was the only one that knew enough to actually answer my seemingly never ending questions.

It was a couple years of working with her before Aunt Lily told me about the time travel watch she was working on. And while she really did want to encourage my interest in science and engineering, it was her need for an assistance with the watch that prompted her to suggest to my moms that I unofficially intern with her.

The first time Aunt Lily showed me the watch, she told me, "Time travel is a serious thing, Claire. It is a responsibility that should never be taken lightly."

A very important lesson that I may have forgotten over the years.

 **…**

I've been looking forward to spring break for a while now. Aunt Lily has made significant progress on her time travel watch and even though we've been Skyping on a regular basis, it's not the same as seeing it in person. I've been helping her work on it for so long now, it actually kind of sucks to not be so closely involved.

I arrive home earlier than I was planning, so both my moms are still working when I walk through the door. I have a few hours to kill, so I decide a short visit to Aunt Lily's workshop is in order. I have to take the bus, since after a very minor car accident last summer, mom will no longer allow me to borrow either of their cars. So I begin the journey to the nearest bus station. And we're far enough from the city that it takes over an hour just to make it to the city limits.

Surprisingly, Aunt Lily isn't in her workshop. I'm a little disappointed because I've been excited to see the adjustments she's made since I last saw the watch in January.

The watch is in its usual place and doesn't look that much different. I know most of the changes that have been made are internal and miniscule, but for some reason, I was still expecting it to look different.

I pick it up and examine it. There are a few changes I can see: the strap seems more secure, and the face is a bit larger. I can't help but turn it on, curious if the display is different.

What I learn from turning it on—too late—is that the buttons are a lot more sensitive than I remember. One moment I'm standing in Aunt Lily's workshop and the next, I'm not.


	3. Chapter 3

I'm sitting on the ledge of an empty pool. It's dark, though they are several small sources of light around me. It only takes me a moment to realize where I am, but it takes a bit longer to figure out **when**.

Once my eyes adjust to the darkness more, it's easier to see who the clusters of people that are standing in the deep end. I can make out mom and Aunt Chloe. Next I find Aunt Amy and Aunt Lily. And finally, my eyes find ma, slightly off to the side of the others.

This can mean only one thing, well two things. One, the time watch actually works. And two, I've apparently traveled back to the year my moms fell in love. It feels like the best kind of happy accident. Yeah, I'll be in tons of trouble when I return to the present, but getting to see ma's first infamous riff off will totally be worth it. I'm just glad I'm dressed in jeans and my Cons because I blend in pretty well.

I'm drawn from my thoughts when the sound of sirens play and my eyes are drawn to someone standing in between the four groups. I half listen as he explains the rules of the riff off and I feel my excitement built about being able to see ma sing _No Diggity_.

I've been told the story of this riff off several times by several different people: Aunt Amy, Aunt Lily, Aunt Stacie, Aunt Chloe by herself, mom, Aunt Chloe with a hesitant mom and Aunt Chloe with a very reluctant ma. And because they remember things different, I've heard conflicting narrations of what truly went down. It's honestly like a super confusing, messed up version of playing telephone.

It's not like this is the first Barden acapella riff off I've ever been to. Even if I'm not a Bella, I still wasn't going to miss the chance to see a riff off. It had been as fun as I'd been expecting and I'll definitely be at next year's as well.

I'm glad I'm perched so high up, it makes it easier to take everything in. I watch mom try to start the Bellas out, only to be shot down by Bumper, a name that almost always provokes irritation in our house. But I can't help but cheer when mom returns and interrupts the Harmonics. The interruption from one of the high notes is confusing, but getting to join in with "cut off" is even more fun than when I said it in my own time.

Songs about sex is next and I watch as the Bellas and Trebles go back and forth. And then it really seems like the Trebles have it as they manage to make it to chorus without an interruption. I watch in fascination as a guy in a blue jacket leads the song and seems to be flirting with ma? It makes me uncomfortable and kind of makes me want to punch him. No one gets to flirt with ma, but my mom; and sometimes Aunt Chloe.

And then ma's there in front of him, rapping and obviously catching everyone off guard. It's funny watching her because I can actually see her confidence slowly dwindling as she looks around because no one seems to recognize what song she's chosen.

The guy in blue tells her to keep going and after a beat, she does. There's a whoop of recognition from someone to my right as she keeps going. And even though I know what happens next, I don't relax until Aunt Amy strolls down and joins ma. The other Bellas soon join in as well and I grin as Aunt Amy flips off the Trebles.

And then everyone's joining in. I watch ma saunter around the pool, enjoying the song and obviously growing cocky that no one's interrupted and that everyone—even those on the sidelines—have joined in. I look around for mom and find her behind the other Bellas, dancing awkwardly. Her and ma definitely don't agree about some music.

Ma finishes her circle and joins the Bellas again, ending the song. She's smirking like mad as the crowd erupts in applause. I join in as well, even though I know what's coming next.

When the lead guy, along with the Trebles, tell the Bellas that they're "cut off", I boo as loud as possible, but it's definitely lost in the mixture of half hearted applause and the Trebles celebration.

I try to contain my excitement because actually seeing ma sing _No Diggity_ after hearing about it for years was awesome. My eyes stay on the Bellas as mom talks to them. It seems like her and ma are arguing, which isn't that surprising and then the group splits up. I watch mom and Aunt Chloe walk away first, with ma and Aunt Amy trailing behind them last.

Everyone else is starting to leave, so I stand too. I don't think the campus has changed too much, so I try to think of places I could walk to where it wouldn't be noticeable for me to disappear. As I'm doing this, it occurs to me that I'm definitely going to be in trouble when I get back. Mom will certainly be lecturing me for a long time. And since I'm already in trouble, I might as well check out the one other Bellas' performances I've always wanted to see, Aunt Amy singing at Regionals. Besides, jumping a few months into the future will probably be easier than jumping back to the present.

So I find a tree that has me mostly hidden and quickly program the watch. I glance around, hoping I'm alone. Not seeing anyone around, I take a deep breath and push the button.

* * *

Part Two

Beca supposes she shouldn't be surprised that Aubrey didn't realize the epicness of what happened with _No Diggity_. The blonde seemed more focused on the fact that they lost instead of the fact that they worked together as a group for probably the first time ever.

Beca doesn't consider herself terribly competitive, but she knows that's not why her and Aubrey clash.

Music has always been Beca's coping mechanism. It helped her deal with her dad leaving and the divorce. It helped her figure out her sexuality in high school. And it helped her be "okay" with being forced to attend Barden. And though Chloe has made comments about the Bellas once being more about the music for Aubrey, it's obviously no longer true.

Maybe that's what irritates Beca more than anything. Because she's attracted to Aubrey and for her to not feel the same way, or at least similar about what music is and can be, is such a let down.

Why couldn't Aubrey view music the way Chloe does? The red head practically has music flowing through her veins. And while there is definitely an attraction, a connection even—though Beca's a terrible friend, she knows her friendship with Chloe will last a lifetime—it's not the same as what she feels towards Aubrey, which irritates her. It was only a couple days ago that Becs was able to admit to herself now she felt about Aubrey. She's not necessarily happy about it. Besides the fact that her crush will obviously lead nowhere, it's more the fact that she's apparently drawn to an antagonistic relationship. She knows that if anything ever happened between them, the relationship wouldn't be easy. It would be a constant battle filled with regular arguments because they both seem to enjoy a good fight. It's actually part of the appeal to Beca, because Aubrey is totally hot when she's pissed off.

For a brief moment once _No Diggity_ was done—and before it was announced that they lost—Beca had though that she and Aubrey might finally see eye to eye about the set list. But that hope was quickly doused when Justin proclaimed them "cut off". And Beca was left thinking of other ways she and Aubrey could find common ground, even though she knows it's a waste of time.

Honestly though, it'd probably be better to try and get over it or at least better at ignoring her feelings because it's obviously going nowhere.

Except she's been lying in bed for hours now, staring into the darkness, trying **not** to think about Aubrey.

Seeing no other solution, Beca slips out of bed and plants herself in front of her laptop. Hopefully music can help her deal with her crush.


	4. Chapter 4

I'm standing in the hallway of school. There's no one around, but there's a commotion coming from the far end of the hallway. I figure it's people milling around, so I hurry towards it, hoping I don't miss the Bellas' performance.

I skid to a halt next a group of people just in time to see ma punch a guy in a sweater. And then Aunt Amy throws herself into the fray and it gets even crazier. I watch in disbelief as they wrestle over a trophy.

And then suddenly the trophy is flying through the air and breaks a window.

The shattering glass brings all the chaos to a halt and everyone scatters. Ma is just standing there, holding the remaining piece of the trophy and I can see an angry looking cop walking towards the building.

My body reacts before my brain realizes it and I start running. As I pass ma, I grab her arm and drag her along behind me. She's in heels, so she stumbles slightly before being forced to run with me. I hear a guy's voice behind us shout, "Beca?! Who the hell..." But the rest of it is lost as I turn a corner, half sliding on the floor. Ma and I bump into a locker as I spot an exit. I slam into the door, the force pushing it open as I continue to drag ma behind me. We stop outside, a few feet from the door and I finally let go of ma's arm.

Standing there, slightly out of breath, staring at ma, a horrifying realization washes over me. I have totally and completely messed up.

When I was ten, after weeks of pestering my moms, I finally learned how they got past arguments and admitted that they actually **liked** each other. Ma had been arrested at Regionals. And once gramps had paid her bail, she'd come back to the rest of the Bellas waiting for her. Mom, of course, turned it into a Bella meeting, that once again had ma questioning the set list. But once the meeting was over, Aunt Chloe forced them to talk, hoping they'd work through their difference. Instead, they fought, but it led to them kissing. And though they didn't tell anyone right away, it was the beginning of their relationship.

Except now, that's not going to happen because I've stopped ma from getting arrested. Now Aunt Chloe isn't going to force them to talk later. Which means they won't be arguing, but that they also won't be kissing. I so completely fucked up.

Ma, still holding part of the broken trophy, is staring at me. Knowing that I've probably destroyed the chances of my moms getting together, all I can think to do is run.

"Wait!" ma shouts as I take off.

I don't stop. Instead, the moment I'm around the corner, I skid to a stop, hastily program the watch and press the button.

* * *

Chapter Four: Part Two

Beca, not quite sure what just happened, stares after the stranger as she rushes out of sight. She's grateful because the moment the glass shattered, Beca had just frozen and she's sure that the cop outside would have read her the riot act or worse. But considering that Beca has no memory of ever seeing the girl before, she's really not sure what motivated her to pull Beca outside and away from the scene.

Beca's savior is long gone by now, so it's not as if Beca can question her. Shaking herself out of her stupor, Beca looks around and tries to figure out where exactly she is. She's pretty sure the bus is parked around the corner.

Glancing down, she realizes that the broken bit of trophy is still clenched in her left hand. She looks around and seeing no one, tosses the plastic tube as far as she can. It makes a loud clatter as it bounces across the pavement.

She checks before she rounds the corner, just in case the cop is looking for her, but the coast seems clear, so she hurries to the open door of the bus and slips on.

"Bout time, short stack," Fat Amy says. "How far did you run?"

Beca doesn't reply as she slides into her seat.

"Hell of a punch, shorty," Fat Amy continues. "Wouldn't mind having you at my side the next time I have to throw down."

Still trying to figure out who the girl who dragged her away is, Beca just nods. "Yeah, sure, Amy."

The atmosphere shifts dramatically as Aubrey steps onto the bus.

It's deadly silent and everyone finds something else to occupy themselves with. Once it's been established that everyone is on the bus, Aubrey nods to Fat Amy. Fat Amy gives a salute, closes the doors and pulls out of the parking lot.

The first twenty minutes are tensely silent and awkward. Everyone knows that Aubrey's pissed. The question is, is it because Beca jumped in to help Jesse? Or is it something else?

"We need to have an emergency meeting," Aubrey finally announces.

That sounds Bella related to Beca and so she lets herself relax slightly.

Aubrey turns in her seat and faces the others. "I looked over our score sheets and the Sockapellas almost beat us."

Beca wants to say something about doing something different, but stays quiet.

"And Fat Amy, you need to do it exactly as we've rehearsed it. No surprises."

Beca can't help herself anymore. "We should be taking chances, putting ourselves out there, being different."

"Beca's right," Cynthia Rose adds. "The Trebles never sing the same song twice."

"The audience loves the Trebles," Beca points out. "They tolerate us. I have some ideas I've been working on. I could play them tomorrow at rehearsal—"

"Beca," Aubrey interjects. "I have the pitch pipe and I say we are keeping the set list we have."

Beca rolls her eyes, but manages to stay quiet.

"From this point forward, we will be solely focused on perfecting the set list," Aubrey continues. "That means no more wasting time on work or school or... partners."

"But Aubrey," Chloe tries. "It couldn't hurt to just **listen** to what Beca—"

"Rehearsal," Aubrey snaps. "Tomorrow morning. End of discussion."

Crossing her arms, Aubrey spins in her seat and faces the front of the bus again. The mood of the bus lapses back into an uncomfortable silence.

Beca watches Chloe actually physically deflate and wonders about the urge she has to comfort the red head. It's probably because she hates seeing a disappointed Chloe.

It's an odd contrast to the fierce need to continue arguing with Aubrey. It's actually become of one of Beca's favorite things about Bella rehearsal.

However, she also feels insanely claustrophobic about doing it on the bus. Unlike during rehearsals, the others have nowhere else to go.

Hoping to keep her mind off it, Beca pulls out her ear buds and listens to the collection of songs she's hoping to use for her next mix for the rest of the ride.

Arriving back at Barden is a solemn occasion. Aubrey is the first off and reminds each of them about the early morning rehearsal the next day as they exit.

Beca is the third off and is asked to wait. For once, Chloe doesn't offer her a sympathetic glance and Beca stands there watching the others walk away, actually fearful of her confrontation with Aubrey. Only once Fat Amy is out of sight does Aubrey turn and face Beca.

Beca is leaning against the van the best she can in the skirt and heels. She decides that attacking first is the best defense.

"Look Aubrey, I know you feel strongly about the set list, but if you'd just let m—"

"What the aca-hell were you doing tonight?" Aubrey snaps.

"Um, is this not about the set list?" Beca questions. "Because I—"

"Your toner for that **Treble** is getting out of control, Beca," Aubrey accuses.

That wasn't what Beca was expecting. "Jesse? What are you talking about?"

"We all saw you rush to his defense tonight," Aubrey tells her.

"Well yeah," Beca says. "Jesse's not much of a fighter."

"You're always with him," Aubrey points out.

"We're friends," Beca replies.

"I've seen you two together," Aubrey continues. "I've seen the way he looks at you."

And this is the one topic Beca had been hoping to avoid forever. "So?"

"That oath is no joke, Beca," Aubrey reminds her. "Not only are you going against **years** of Bella tradition, which I take very seriously—"

" **I know** ," Beca huffs.

Clearly irritated, Aubrey crosses her arms. "But they are also our rivals and they don't respect us."

"Jesse isn't like Bumper and those other douche nuzzles," Beca argues.

It's not like Beca is interested in Jesse like that, but Aubrey **does not** get to tell her who she can hang out with; even if there's still a small part of her that wishes she could alleviate Aubrey's fears by telling the blonde who she **really** has a crush on.

This seems to infuriate Aubrey, who takes menacing steps forward until she's directly in Beca's face.

"So you're admitting that the two of you are a thing," she growls.

Why is pissed off Aubrey so hot?

"That's not what I said," Beca replies, clenching her fists at her side. She has a desperate need to kiss Aubrey.

"You're with him all the time—"

"I am not."

"You're defending him," Aubrey continues.

"That doesn't—"

"I think that from now on you should do an extra twenty minutes of cardio at every rehearsal," Aubrey answers smugly.

"You're more delusional than I thought if you think that's ever going to happen," Beca scoffs.

"What did you call me?"

"You heard me, Posen."

Aubrey has Beca backed against the bus and is so damn close that Beca just leans in and kisses her.

Aubrey immediately pulls back, looking shocked. Beca's about to apologize when Aubrey surges forward—slamming Beca against the bus—and they're kissing again.

Aubrey kisses like she does everything—intense and focused—and Beca, for once, lets her lead. There's some vague throbbing in her back from being slammed against the van, but Beca's world is the press of Aubrey's body against hers as Aubrey kisses her.

And then just like that—as if Aubrey realized who exactly she was kissing—it's over. Beca is left leaning against the bus, panting, with two feet of space between her and Aubrey, who seems both shocked and stimulated as they stare at each other.

Beca would say something, but everything she comes up with is too snarky and she's afraid it would ruin whatever could happen between them. She wonders if Aubrey is trying very hard to justify what just happened. Before she can ask—because it's the least sarcastic thing she can think of—Aubrey is running off. Still slumped against the bus, Beca watches her run away, wondering what the hell she should do now.


	5. Chapter 5

In my anguished panic, I didn't really pay attention to **when** I was going to, and so when I suddenly appear on the top benches of the outdoor auditorium, it takes me a minute to figure out what's going on.

There's obviously a party happening. I try to listen to various conversations around me. It's only a guess, but it seems like I've arrived during ma's first hood night.

Which is probably lucky because it means people are drunk and probably didn't notice my sudden appearance.

I decide to get a drink as an excuse to look around. I descend slowly and am about half way down when I spot ma talking to Aunt Chloe. It's much too loud to hear what they're saying, but they're sitting incredibly close, like Aunt Chloe is practically in ma's lap.

I'm very used to Aunt Chloe's... boundary issues. And she's certainly always been close with both my moms, but somehow, this is different. It feels very... intimate, especially considering the fact that they just met.

I watch as the music changes and Aunt Chloe tries to convince ma to dance, practically pulling on her arm, trying to get her to stand, but ma just keeps refusing. Aunt Chloe pouts, but ultimately the music wins and I watch her bounce away.

Only to be immediately replaced by the guy who'd been flirting with ma at the riff off. He isn't allowed to sit as close as Aunt Chloe, but he is so obviously flirting. Ma is smiling, but it's different than one she'd been wearing with Aunt Chloe.

I continue down the steps, not sure I want to watch anymore. There's a keg, so I get myself a beer. I trek back up the steps and notice that ma is still talking to the Treble, which is just weird.

Once I'm back at the top, my eyes find mom, who is in the crowd dancing. She does glance up at ma occasionally, but looks pissed every time she does. I wonder if it's because ma is talking to a Treble. She doesn't seem jealous, or interested, which is what I would expected. But it's probably too soon for that.

Except the longer I watch the lack of interaction or interest between them, the more worried I become. I'm starting to think I really fucked things up. What if their kiss was a one in a million fluke? Like the only reason it happened is because ma was arrested? And if that didn't happen, they wouldn't have gotten together?

Scanning the crowd, I try to push those thoughts out of my head because I can actually feel a panic building. I take a long sip of my beer in hopes of calming myself slightly. I follow it with several deep breaths. It helps slightly.

However, my eyes seem to stay fixated on ma as she continues to talk to the Treble. It feels like it takes real physical effort to look elsewhere. But then my eyes always wander back.

The third time, my eyes land on ma, she's talking to Aunt Chloe again and it's obvious they're both drunk; though Aunt Chloe more so. This time, I out right stare, trying to figure out exactly what I'm seeing and why it's bothering me so much.

I give up after a few minutes and watch mom dance for a while, but that too, feels odd.

Everyone's drunk enough that they probably wouldn't notice if I disappeared. They'd probably just blame it on the alcohol. I set down my plastic cup and stare at the time travel watch. Leaving is a good idea. After all, I hadn't planned on jumping to this moment and it's probably too early in the year for me to try and get them together. I should just jump ahead a few months and come up with a plan.

And then I realize that someone's sitting next to me and has been for a few minutes. I glance to my right and try not to react to the sight of Aunt Lily next to me.

"Hi," I sputter.

"Hello," Aunt Lily replies.

I'm relieved that I can still understand her. Growing up, I was always baffled by the fact that ma and me are the only ones who seem to be able to really hear her. And even ma confided in me that it took her a while. But I've always been able to. Aunt Lily says that makes me special. I think it's ultimately what helped her decide to let me help with the time travel watch.

"Having fun?" I ask, not sure what else I can say.

"When are you from?"

Not sure that I heard her correctly, I can only reply, "What?"

"I've been watching you," Aunt Lily says. "And it's obvious that you're from the future."

"What? That's absurd," I tell her. I pick up my drink and take a large gulp, hoping she'll drop it. Which is a misguided hope.

"Do you really think I don't recognize what's on your wrist?" Aunt Lily questions. "I had the idea when I was fourteen. I've just been waiting for technology to catch up. So when are you from?"

I gulp, worried I'm about to make a huge mistake. "2037."

Aunt Lily grins. "Sooner than I expected," she says. "I didn't think I'd be able to get it working before 2040."

"Um, well, we, uh, realized a few short cuts, we could, uh, take last year," I stammer.

"I'm surprised that your moms would let you work with me," Aunt Lily says, eyes on her drunken peers.

I'm mystified how she knows that I have two moms and who they are; after all, it's not like I look like either of them. "Ummm..."

"Like I said, I've been watching you for a while," Aunt Lily explains. "Add that to the fact that I notice things, it's obvious who your moms are."

Not sure I believe her, I say, "Oh, well, it took some begging on my part."

"And I'm sure it helped that Beca was on your side, right?"

I've never been so glad I wasn't drinking anything, because there definitely would have been a spit take. "Um, yeah, it did. How did you know?"

"Beca seems more open minded than Aubrey," Aunt Lily answers.

"What? But how?"

Aunt Lily shrugs. "I notice things. And those two are so obvious. I assumed neither would have the guts to do something though. Glad to know I was wrong."

I'm a bit confused because as far as I know, neither is even close to realizing their feelings for each other. But then again, Aunt Lily was able to figure out I was from the future and who my moms are, so I just sort of accept it. "Ma convinced her," I explain to her. "I thought there was going to be a huge fight, but I guess they actually just talked it out."

"They are good at fighting," Aunt Lily agrees.

We watch ma and Aunt Chloe for a while before Aunt Lily asks, "So, you screwed up pretty bad, huh?"

I keep my eyes on the crowd, letting my gaze return to mom. Thinking she's talking about my accidental jump back in time, I say, "It really was an accident."

"It usually is," Aunt Lily replies. Sounding amused, she doesn't say anything else. Getting angry isn't really something she does, but I did expect her to say a bit more on the subject.

"Unfortunately, I can't stay here all night and chat," she says, standing. "But since you're going to be jumping around to fix your mistake, let me know if you need any help."

"Why would I need help?"

"You majorly changed the timeline, kiddo," Aunt Lily says. "It has to be fixed."

I just stare up at her in shock.

"It's just so obvious," Aunt Lily explains. "Besides we both know that trying to go back and stop yourself from screwing up is definitely not an option."

I nod numbly.

"It'll work out," Aunt Lily says.

"It will?"

"Well, it better," Aunt Lily replies. "Otherwise, who knows what you'll be returning to." Aunt Lily is not known for being particularly comforting. "But you'll be fine," she continues. "I wouldn't have let you help me, if I didn't think you could handle it."

"Thanks."

I watch Aunt Lily walk back down the steps and be swallowed up by the crowd, leaving me alone to try and comes up with a plan. At first, I wonder if I should have asked for specific help. I only have tentative ideas of how I'm going to fix my screw up. I continue trying to remember all the stories I've been told about my moms' time at Barden. The problem is that most of the ones I've heard have been from my Aunts and not my moms. It takes a lot of pleading and pouting—sometimes from both me and Aunt Chloe—to hear a story from their perspective.

I have some vague ideas of what might work based on how they were when I was growing up. But maybe actually seeing them together in the "present" will spark some ideas. I decide to try and jump to the day after my screw up and watch them.

I don't leave right away, though, staying to watch and see a fragment of the connection between them that exists in my time. But over an hour later, there's nothing and I'm left feeling like I have an insurmountable mission in front of me.

* * *

Chapter Five: Part Two

Aubrey envies Chloe's optimism. They might have just initiated ten new Bellas, but Aubrey's not feeling nearly as positive about their chances. It's not because their recruits don't fit the usual Bella mold. The fact that they can sing is more important.

It's more the daunting task of having to teach eight newbies how to properly sing a cappella, especially when there's only Chloe and herself doing so, in such a short period of time.

But truthfully what really worries her is the toner Chloe seems to have for the alt girl. The red head's heart is led by her love of music and Aubrey knows that her best friend already feels connected with Beca through singing. Duets in the shower tend to have that effect.

Aubrey is not so easily won over. Her first encounter with the brunette was filled with mocking and sarcasm. While Aubrey might not share Chloe's sunny attitude, she definitely doesn't appreciate being ridiculed for loving a cappella. Aubrey hopes—probably futilely—that Beca's attitude will chance once she realizes how much work and dedication it is.

Though Aubrey has a feeling that Beca is only dedicated to judging anything she deems uncool.

They're playing good music, so Aubrey tries to lose herself in it. This is her last hood night and despite the mounting worries about the future of the Bellas, she wants to enjoy it.

Every time Aubrey pours herself another beer, her eyes unintentionally find Beca. The brunette is usually in the company of a new Treble—the oath obviously meaning nothing to Beca—though she doesn't seem nearly as comfortable with him as she does with Chloe. Who seems to have no problem sitting so close to Beca, she's practically in her lap.

Seeing both of them flirting with Beca bothers Aubrey. Not because she's jealous. Beca is nothing she looks for in a partner—except for her affiliation for music, though their tastes are definitely different. No, it's because Aubrey takes the oath very seriously. Bellas and Trebles should not mix.

And as for Chloe, Aubrey doesn't need her distracted. She's seen Chloe over the years when she has a crush and now isn't the time for the red head to lack focus. And she's already heard far too many times about Chloe's shower duet with Beca that she could probably tell it as well as Chloe does. And while Chloe insisted that the Bellas would be better off with Beca, Aubrey just can't agree; especially since it seems like it's more about Chloe's crush than anything else. After all, is Chloe thinking about how Beca will obviously not take anything seriously? Definitely not.

And maybe she's a little worried about the effects of Chloe's crush. Aubrey's already had to listen to her gush about Beca. The blonde misses the days before Chloe knew her name, because now she hears it every day. Chloe's focus seems to be mostly on Beca and Aubrey worries that she might be losing her best friend. Chloe seems fine with how things are working out, but Aubrey's still not too sure. Having enthusiastic singers isn't enough to create a winning team.

Still this is her last hood night and she really is determined to enjoy it. She forces herself to not glance up towards Beca and focus on dancing to the music. All the problems they have will still be the morning and maybe, she can let them go for a few hours, if she tries hard enough.


	6. Chapter 6

Aubrey running from Beca seems like a sign that the kiss was a mistake. She walks slowly back to her dorm, trying not to think about how perfect it felt. But she's very unsuccessful.

Kimmy Jin is asleep when Beca slips into the room and so—as quietly as she can—Beca changes.

However, once she's in bed, sleep doesn't come easily. She's still thinking about the kiss and how it was even better than her day dreams. She really hopes she can kiss Aubrey again.

Aubrey's reaction makes that seem unlikely. But the more Beca thinks about it—and she can't help not—the more Beca wonders if it's that she caught Aubrey by surprise. She's been dealing with her crush for months now. And while Beca does think there is **something** between them, she also knows that Aubrey's been very singularly focused this year. She's heard it many times from Chloe, especially lately. Maybe tonight is the first time Aubrey's truly realized that there could be something between them.

Beca needs to talk to Aubrey; and it has to be as soon as possible before Aubrey is able to talk herself out of it. Because Beca wants this. She's more content arguing with Aubrey than she is being forced to watch movies with Jesse or even talking music with Chloe. And she knows how it sounds. But Aubrey is an intriguing challenge that Beca wants to explore.

She makes up her mind to wake up early enough to talk to Aubrey before rehearsal. She sets an alarm feeling better that a decision has been made.

She drifts off to sleep, thinking of kissing Aubrey again.

 **…**

Knowing from Chloe that Aubrey gets up early to jog every morning, Beca drags herself out of bed. For once, she's up before Kimmy Jin, so she quickly pulls on whatever is within reach and relatively clean, before rushing out of the room.

The campus is peaceful so early in the morning and it makes Beca, briefly, consider becoming a morning person. Barden's not so bad when there's no one around. She gets herself a cup of coffee and a bottle of water for Aubrey before making her way to the bench Beca knows Aubrey uses to do her cool down stretches.

In her haste, Beca forgot to grab her headphones, so for the first time in forever, she sits outside without music. It's probably better that way; it gives her time to figure out what she's going to say to Aubrey. Beca knows she has to have a game plan. Assuming Aubrey feels the same way she does, Beca knows she'll still have to do some convincing for what happened last night to continue. And Beca's going to do everything she can to be able to kiss Aubrey again, because twice just wasn't enough.

The blonde appears on the path after about ten minutes and Beca congratulates herself on her timing. She's going to take it as a good sign.

Aubrey slows down as she approaches, looking wary. "Beca," she greets.

"Good morning, Aubrey," Beca replies as she holds up the water she brought. "Water?"

"I still need to do my post cardio stretches," Aubrey explains. "Maybe after."

Beca nods, watching Aubrey cross her legs and bend over. "I was hoping we could talk."

Aubrey straightens out, crosses her legs the other way and bends over again as she replies, "I have to admit I'm surprised to see you."

Beca grins. "This is the first time I've been up this early in a **long** time. But this is important."

Aubrey nods before stretching both her arms out behind her back and bends over again.

It's a bit mesmerizing to watch and Beca has to shake herself to remain focused. "We kissed."

"We did," Aubrey agrees, once she's standing again.

Beca waits for her to say more, but Aubrey just steps into a lunge, right foot forward and then slowly lowers her left knee to the ground. After a moment, she reaches back with her left arm and reaches for her foot.

Once again, Beca forces herself to remain focused, despite the very pleasant view she's being given. "And I would really like to do it again," Beca manages.

Aubrey is slowly rising as Beca says this, but she pauses and stares at Beca. "You would?"

"I would," Beca replies. "What about you?"

Aubrey lunges forward with her left foot. "I'd like that."

Beca feels a wide grin spread across her face as she watches Aubrey lower her right knee to the ground. "Good."

Aubrey grins back as she stretches.

"And I know you have a routine you have to follow before rehearsal," Beca continues. "But I was hoping we could talk after? There are definitely things to talk about."

Aubrey rises out of her stretch and then sits on the ground in front of Beca. She bends her knees and brings her feet together. "I'm relieved to hear you say that," Aubrey says as she leans forward, her hands on her feet. "I just assumed you'd pretend it didn't happen."

"I've been wanting to do that for a while," Beca confesses. Though it's difficult to admit, Beca knows she has to say it for Aubrey to give her a real chance.

Aubrey sits up. "For serious?"

Beca nods as Aubrey slowly stands up. She sits on the bench next to Beca and takes the water bottle. Beca knows she shouldn't stare at Aubrey while she's drinking, but can't seem to help herself.

"Can we talk in your room?" Aubrey asks. "I'm not ready for Chloe to know yet."

"Me neither," Beca admits.

This earns a surprised glance from Aubrey; apparently she hadn't been expecting that.

"Kimmy Jin should be out later," Beca continues. "Stop by whenever." Beca stands. "I'll let you get back to your routine."

Aubrey stands as well. "Thanks. Don't be late for rehearsal."

"Wouldn't dream of it," Beca says. She takes a step forward and kisses Aubrey on the cheek, before strolling away, back towards her dorm.

 **…**

Returning to her room, hoping to shower before rehearsal, Beca is feeling pretty good. It seems that she was right; Aubrey had been surprised by the kiss. But it also seems like she spent the night thinking about it. Beca is so relieved that Aubrey feels the same way she does. She'd been worried that Aubrey would acknowledge her feelings and decide that it wasn't worth pursuing because it would interfere with the Bellas or that it would be too much of a struggle.

Beca tries not to think about what it means that neither of them want Chloe to know. That seems like a tangled mess that Beca's not ready to confront yet.

Instead, Beca tries to focus on getting through rehearsal without the others realizing that anything's changed; and what needs to be talked about with Aubrey after.

* * *

Chapter Six: Part Two

The most logical place to observe my moms is Bellas' rehearsal. Everyone agrees it's where the relationship started, even if they didn't know it at the time.

The fact that I attend Barden as well is really helpful at the moment, because I know exactly where their rehearsal space is.

Sneaking in is a little bit more difficult since mom and Aunt Chloe are already there prepping. But I've been taught by the best, both ma and Aunt Lily, so I'm able to get in and find some boxes to hide behind without being detected.

I try to eavesdrop on them, but mom and Aunt Chloe aren't really talking.

They have an easy comradely in my time; they know each other so well and seem to communicate with very few words. It makes sense that it would be true at Barden as well.

It also figures that my moms wouldn't make this easy.

I doze off a bit; it's probably only been a few hours since I jumped into the past, but I'm exhausted.

I wake up to the pounding of feet on the bleachers. Peering around the boxes, I can see them all doing cardio. Though as I watch, Aunt Amy starts to slow until she finally sits in the first row.

Once the cardio is over, they go through the routine again and it seems really on point.

After, mom directs everyone to sit as she gives them all notes. However, when she gets to ma, she pauses for over thirty seconds—I count—and then simply says, "Adequate."

Ma simply meets mom's gaze. I can't see her face, but I can see the others leaning away from her. When mom pronounces her adequate, I, along with everyone else, tense up in anticipation of ma's response.

But ma's, "Whatever" is unexpected by all of us and there's a room wide exhale of tension.

Knowing that I changed how things played out last night makes me wonder what happened on the bus ride back to Barden. Because the others seem to be on edge about something. Mom is actively ignoring it and ma seems indifferent to it. Aunt Chloe is shooting them both questioning looks as they start the routine again.

I must admit I'm a bit confused by what I've seen so far as I've jumped around. Seeing a younger version of Aunt Chloe flirt with this younger version of ma is strange. Ma is definitely not what you'd call a touchy feely person; the exception being me, mom and Aunt Chloe. But a lot of the time it's just that when Aunt Chloe wraps herself around ma, and doesn't get pushed away. And it's not that ma minds. Over the years I've learned to notice when she's tense around people and she's **never** tense around Aunt Chloe.

But seeing it now, at its origins... I don't know. It feels like Aunt Chloe is waiting for ma to make a move. And now I'm even more worried than I was before. Observing them now, it seems more likely that ma and Aunt Chloe will get together instead of my moms. I've never been more upset that my moms told so few stories of their time together at Barden; it's obvious that I'm missing important pieces of information. Or did ma not getting arrested really have that big of an effect on the timeline?

It's apparent that I need to get them together ASAP.

I watch them go through the routine two more times before mom ends rehearsal and that's only because the mistakes increased significantly the last time—probably because everyone's getting tired.

My moms barely interact; it's mostly glaring at each other, but Aunt Chloe seems to gravitate towards ma quite a bit. Mom watches them with an expression I don't understand.

I study mom trying to comprehend what I'm seeing because it almost seems like jealousy; though it's hard to know, because I've never really seen it. Throughout the years I've seen both my moms get hit on, but the other never seems to get jealous.

 **…**

Growing up, I remember mom being hit on more than ma; though ma did have plenty of people flirt with her. I always found it strange that neither seemed jealous. For a while, I worried that it meant they didn't love each other as much as I thought. I finally ended up asking.

I was twelve and having lunch with my moms and Aunt Chloe. The waitress was blatantly flirting with mom to the point where Aunt Chloe joked that maybe we'd get our meal for free.

I remember watching ma throughout all the flirting, wondering why she didn't seem bothered by it. Ma is so devoted to mom, that I thought for sure she'd be pissed; especially considering mom's wedding ring was obviously visible. Instead, ma seemed intent on answering an email from her agent.

"Beca is better at getting things for free from people," mom told Aunt Chloe. "I usually just get phone numbers."

"Don't be ridiculous, Bree," ma said, looking up from her phone. "People don't hit on me."

"It's that 'fuck off' vibe around you," Aunt Chloe smirked.

"Language," mom hissed, looking towards me.

"Like Beca hasn't swore around her before," Aunt Chloe replied.

"Thanks, Chloe," ma said, not looking up from her email.

"Besides, junior here, knows better, right?"

To this day, I'm still not sure why Aunt Chloe insisted on calling me junior.

Glancing over at ma, still intent on her email, I turned to mom and asked quietly, "How come ma isn't mad about the waitress?"

"Why would I be mad?" ma answered, looking up. "My wife is hot. Course people are going to hit on her."

"Yeah, but—"

"It's not like anything will happen, kid," ma continued. "The real question is why don't **more** people flirt with her."

Mom was rolling her eyes, though there may have been a slight blush to her cheeks.

"Awww, Becs, you're adorable," Aunt Chloe cooed.

"Quiet Beale," ma retorted. "Wish my—"

"Language."

"...bad attitude worked on you."

Mom leaned closer to me, ignoring the teasing between ma and Aunt Chloe.

"It's about trust," mom explained. "Your ma and I trust each other."

"Yeah, but..." I wasn't sure what I wanted to ask. It's not like I had any relationship experience to go off of. But over the last couple years, I'd noticed more and more how many people flirted with my moms—Aunt Chloe didn't count.

Seeing my struggle, mom said, "Look, sweetie, you know your ma and I don't do much halfway, right?"

I nodded.

"Well, that includes how we feel about each other. We're committed to each other; end of story," mom told me. "So it doesn't matter what other people do, because for us, there's no one else."

I nodded again.

"I know that probably doesn't make much sense to you," mom said. "But—"

"Don't worry about it, junior," Aunt Chloe interjected. "It doesn't make sense to the rest of us, either. But they've been married for almost seventeen years. The rest of us have stopped questioning it."

I nodded once more as the waitress brought us the check. Aunt Chloe grabbed it before anyone else could and began laughing.

Mom sighed and held out her hand. However, before Aunt Chloe could hand it over, ma snatched it out of her hand and looked it over.

"She totally comp'ed your meal," ma chuckled. "Should have ordered something more expensive."

Obviously annoyed, mom stood, yanked the check out of ma's grip and went to pay.

Still grinning, ma looked at me. "You okay, kid?"

"I guess."

"Let me break it down for you then," ma said. "Your mom and I are solid. Nothing's going to change that. So you don't have to worry about us divorcing or whatever. Okay?"

Ma has always been honest with me, to the point of awkwardness, so I knew she wasn't just saying that to make me feel better. "Okay."

"It'll make more sense, later, I promise," ma assured me.

Mom returned at this point, having paid the check, so we left. After that, I really did try to worry less about people flirting with my moms.

 **…**

I still don't quite understand it, truthfully. I just know it works for my moms. But being back in the past, watching them interact—or rather, not interact—has me questioning things all over again. My moms have a great marriage, everyone says so. If I want to make sure that it'll still exist in the future, I need to get them together as close to their original beginning as possible.

An idea pops into my head, so after checking that I'm still out of sight, I punch in my next destination and push the button.

* * *

Chapter Six: Part Three

Aubrey had spent the night trying to figure out how she felt about Beca kissing her. She came to the conclusion that it was something she definitely wanted to happen again and the more she thought about her relationship with Beca, the more things clicked into place.

Of course, dating Beca Mitchell wouldn't be easy—or a good idea, but she really wants to. But she also convinced herself that Beca kissing her was some sort of fluke.

And so she'd been shocked to see Beca waiting for her this morning. She had been so sure that Beca would pretend like nothing had happened. She had been preparing herself for it, in fact. It's why she'd been a bit taciturn; that and she hoped Beca would say more, the less Aubrey spoke. Thankfully, Beca had. Having something physical to do, helped her say little; and feeling Beca's eyes on her was a nice boost for her ego. But she'd been even more grateful that Beca seemed to truly understand her; not just her need to keep her routine, but also that she might need a bit of time.

Because of that, Aubrey can admit that she'd been a bit distracted during rehearsal, trying to figure out exactly what she wants to say to Beca. Because if they're going to do this, there **have** to be some ground rules.

 **…**

Rehearsal has been over for about thirty minutes before Aubrey heads to Beca's room. She needed a bit more time because she's really not sure who she's going to encounter; the argumentative, indifferent Beca she saw earlier in rehearsal or the honest, grinning Beca that was waiting for her this morning.

The door opens seconds after she knocks and Aubrey is ushered inside. She sets her things on the bed and looks around. Freshman dorms don't seem to have changed much since she roomed in one. Beca's side of the room is tidier than she expected and she assumes that Beca spent the past thirty minutes cleaning up. There's a stack of textbooks on the empty corner of her desk, but the majority of the space is taken up with a laptop and mixing equipment. Aubrey stares at it as some things start to fall into place.

"So..." Beca starts. "Do you want to sit down? Or..."

"I think I need to stand, actually," Aubrey tells her, hoping she'll understand.

Beca nods and sits on the desk chair.

They stare at each other for a moment before Aubrey blurts out, "You kissed me."

"And I'd like to do it again," Beca adds.

"I'd like that too," Aubrey replies. "But I don't do causal. If you think that you're going to be dating the Treble **and** me, then—"

"Aubrey," Beca interrupts. "I swear to you that I am not dating Jesse. My interests have always laid elsewhere."

"Like Chloe?" It slips out before Aubrey even realize what she's asking.

Beca lets out a sound of frustration. "Is that why you don't want her to know?"

"Isn't it the reason why you don't?" Aubrey counters.

"I asked you first," Beca retorts.

"Why are you answering my questions with questions?" Aubrey returns.

"Why do you think I kissed you last night, Aubrey?" Beca asks, standing.

"To stop the argument."

"True," Beca says. "But also because I wanted to."

" **Why**?"

Beca shrugs. "Because I think you and could be good together."

"We argue **all** the time," Aubrey points out.

"Yeah, but I like arguing with you," Beca replies.

"We are good at it," Aubrey agrees.

"So maybe we can try dating?"

"We'd have to establish some rules," Aubrey says.

"Definitely," Beca replies, stepping closer. "As long as I get to kiss you again."

"After."

Beca groans.

 **…**

A few hours later, Aubrey leaves Beca's room feeling satisfied. They agreed on the rules and still had time to make out some before Kimmy Jin came back.

She's letting herself be optimistic about it for once. Especially since she and Beca really do seem to be on the same page.

They agreed that their relationship is completely separate from the Bellas. That means that when they're alone together, the Bellas are off topic; though Beca did stipulate that she should be able to ask about Aubrey's previous years as a Bella and Aubrey reluctantly agreed. It also means that during rehearsal, they are not dating. Things done and said during rehearsal will not be influenced by anything shared in private. Likewise, anything said during rehearsal has no bearing on their relationship.

They also both agreed that the only way they'll be able to pull this off is if no one else knows they're dating. Aubrey is beyond relieved about this. She's just not ready to have conversations about this with anyone, but Beca. Luckily, Beca doesn't seem ready, either.

Because of this, they have to act like nothing's changed. Aubrey doesn't think this will be too difficult for her. She knows as far as the Bellas go, she has laser focus. Beca claims it won't be a problem for her either; apparently fighting with Aubrey is her favorite part of rehearsal. Given how Beca feels about the set list, Aubrey has no problems believing that.

The biggest hurdle will be trying to find places they can spend time together without others finding out. Aubrey knows Chloe's schedule and so hanging out at their place is a possibility, but Chloe can be unpredictable, so it's not a sure thing. Meanwhile, Beca lives in a very small dorm room with a roommate she does not get along with. But Beca said she'd try and make peace with Kimmy Jin, so she could at least know her schedule a bit better.

They both agreed to be on the lookout for private places they can hang out. So they have a first date planned, sort of. Though she hates not having all the specifics figured out, she knows they have no choice.

 **…**

Several hours after she and Beca come up with their rules, Aubrey is surprised to get a text from the brunette, asking her to stop by the radio station. She agrees, though it seems risky, anyone—especially the Treble—could see her going there. Though they might not think it's because of Beca, which is what Aubrey supposes is Beca's reasoning.

The station is locked up and dark when Aubrey arrives and there's a part of her that worries that she's fallen for a very elaborate prank. But then the door opens and Beca is quickly pulling her inside.

It's dark in the hallway and Aubrey blinks, trying to see as she hears the click of the door being locked. Her eyes are still adjusting when she feels Beca's arms around her. She, in turn, wraps herself around Beca and leans in for a quick kiss that leads to another and another even longer one.

They're able to eventually stop and Aubrey is led into the station. To Aubrey's surprise, they walk right past the booth and up the rickety old stairs to the rarely used upper area. Beca leads her to the ancient couch that is now covered with a sheet. Beca plops down on it and then pats the space next to her.

Having briefly dated Luke as a sophomore, Aubrey knows **exactly** how old the couch is and hesitates.

"The sheet is mine," Beca tells her. "And it's clean. I promise."

It's an unexpected, sweet gesture from Beca and so Aubrey joins her.

"I asked Luke if I could hang out here after my shift," Beca explains. "I said I needed space away from my roommate and where Jesse couldn't find me."

"I still can't believe he said yes," Aubrey replies.

"I had to swear on several things that I wouldn't go into the booth," Beca says.

"And he believed you?" Aubrey questions.

"It helps that he likes me better than Jesse," Beca answers.

Aubrey swallows a growl as a flare of jealousy rises upon hearing that.

"Considering that he doesn't like Jesse at all," Beca continues. "That's not saying much. But I'll take what I can get. Especially if it means you and I have a place to meet."

Aubrey can hear the apology in Beca's voice and melts a little at the reassurance, plus the fact that Beca realized that she needed it.

"So this is where you take me on our first date?" Aubrey teases.

"Yep," Beca grins. She leans over the arm of the couch, her head and arm disappearing momentarily. She reappears with two bottles of water. She hands one to Aubrey and keeps the other for herself. "I thought we could talk," she explains. "I have question and I'm sure you do too. Besides... I missed you."

Aubrey glances at Beca, wondering if that's a line because it's only been a few hours; not to mention that they only started... whatever this is today. But Beca seems sincere and so Aubrey lets herself melt a little bit more.

And so that's how they end up sitting next to each other, fingers intertwined, talking. They talk about their classes, a little about their families—Aubrey doesn't say much about her dad, it's too soon for that, but Beca barely says anything about hers either, despite the fact that he's a professor at Barden—Chloe and Aubrey's friendship, Beca and her roommate and music. Aubrey worries slightly that any discussion of music will meander into Bellas territory, but they both manage to follow the first, and most important rule.

They end up stretched out on the couch with Aubrey laying on top of Beca, whose hands are running soothing patterns on Aubrey's lower back, and not really saying much. Aubrey's enjoying the feel of laying on Beca and is surprised how relaxed and peaceful she feels. She feels safe and warm in a way she's not sure she ever has. She wishes that she could freeze this moment forever.

"I could stay like this forever," Beca says softly. "Can you believe how perfect this feels?"

Aubrey shakes her head, knowing Beca can feel it.

"No matter whatever happens after this," Beca continues. "Even if this doesn't work out, it'll all be worth it for this moment."

Aubrey pulls away, sitting up slightly so she can stare at Beca.

"Yeah," Beca replies to Aubrey's unasked question. "I haven't been this happy in a long time."

"And you don't think you're rushing things a bit?" Aubrey questions. "It hasn't even been a full day."

Beca shrugs—which is awkwardly adorable since she's still laying down. "Probably. All I know is I love fighting with you and I love this and like I said, I haven't been this happy in a long time. So for once, I'm trying to enjoy it."

Beca's liberal use of the world love makes Aubrey slightly nervous—it's **so** too early for that—but she does understand Beca's sentiment; and agrees with it. She's just shocked that Beca would say it so soon.

There must be some panic on her face because Beca says, "I just have this feeling, okay? It's usually about negative things—like when my parents divorced—but they're usually right."

"Which one wasn't?" Aubrey interrupts.

Beca smiles. "That Barden would suck."

Aubrey smacks her on the shoulder.

"Look Aubrey, you and I both know that we're probably going to hurt each other. The way we fight, it seems inevitable. I'm just saying that the good is awesome and makes the bad worth it."

"That's easy to say now," Aubrey tells her.

"Probably," Beca agrees. "But ask me again in a year and I bet my answer is the same."

Aubrey doesn't really have any other argument for Beca, so she lays down and settles against Beca again, loving the way their legs tangle together and that Beca has resumed her nonsensical patters on Aubrey's back.


	7. Chapter 7

Beca had been worried about simply spending time talking with Aubrey. She knew it was a good idea; the best way for both of them to see past who they are in Bellas rehearsal. She's just relieved that Aubrey agreed and they really talked.

When she wakes up the next morning, she does worry a little. When they'd first come up with the rules, keeping it a secret seemed simple enough, but now Beca's not so sure. Not because she won't be able to argue with Aubrey. Beca **knows** she'll be able to do that. No, it's more that she's happy and she's worried it'll be too obvious to everyone. She's not exactly known for smiling a lot and at the moment, she can't seem to wipe the smile off her face. She knows both Chloe and Jesse will pick up on it. She worries about sending them both the wrong signal.

She knows she's going to have to confront them eventually now that she's... whatever with Aubrey, even if she'd been hoping to never have to.

She likes Jesse. He's a nice guy who she doesn't mind spending time with. He just needs to realize that life is not like the movies and the fact that Beca isn't a fan of movies doesn't mean that she's deficient. She doesn't need or want that trait to be "fixed".

Chloe, on the other hand, she seems enamored with Beca in a most unexpected way. Hanging out with her is easy, well, except for her increasing need to invade Beca's personal space. Yes, Beca is surprised by the fact that she doesn't mind, but she does worry that Chloe takes this acceptance as an invitation for more. Maybe if she didn't feel such a strong pull towards Aubrey. But Beca can't help it. She's always enjoyed a challenge and Aubrey... well, Aubrey is one in every sense of the word—in a way that Beca finds very appealing, attractive and intriguing.

Beca's only been given small glimpses of Aubrey—the real Aubrey—and she wants to see a lot more.

* * *

Chapter Seven: Part Two

I hope it's actually two a.m. like I planned. I took my time programming the watch, but I've gotten things wrong before. Looking around, the campus seems quiet enough, so I head for the radio station.

The door's locked, of course, but it's easy enough to pick the lock; a skill mom still doesn't know ma taught me.

I don't turn on the lights and manage to not stumble into too many things. The light in the booth is turned on and I begin searching for the pile of ma's flash drives I know is around. I eventually find them in a small box with a piece of masking tape that reads "Becky". Assuming it's some sort of inside joke, I grab one, plug it in and begin listening for possible songs I can put together for mom.

 **…**

I met Beca Mitchell when I was five years old in a waiting room of a psychologist's office. She was wearing headphones and listening to music on her phone. Years later, hearing ma tell the story, I learned she was listening to a song that needed to be remixed.

I don't really remember what five year old me was thinking, what drew me to her; I'm just relieved that she didn't seem to mind. I'd been taken from my mother only three days earlier and had been staying with a family that already had four other foster kids. And while they weren't mean, per say, it was all very scary and overwhelming for me.

When ma walked into the waiting room, I'd been sitting next to my temporary guardian, Karen, waiting for another foster kid to finish with the psychologist. I had already been evaluated by Dr. Shelia Mitchell, even if, at the time, I didn't quite understand why I needed to be.

For some reason, after about fifteen minutes of watching her, I approached ma and asked about her music. She pulled another set of headphones out of her bag, plugged them into her own and set them on my head. The music volume was relatively low and so I was able to listen to both the music and her as she explained the changes and tweaks she was thinking about to help reinvent the song. She even answered my questions as we listened to the song again and again. And up to that point, I'd never felt more special in my life.

Ma always brushes it off, saying it helped her figure things out, talking it out with me. But I know she's just embarrassed because she apparently talked to grams about me on the way back to gram and gramp's house and over dinner that night. And though they didn't have an official foster license, my moms did everything in their power to speed the process along and foster me. I'm sure grams helped as much as she could too. Because according to everyone, ma wasn't really interested in having a kid until she met me.

Growing up, I spent a lot of time with ma in her studio, watching her work. I learned a lot. And up until I was nine, I wanted to be a producer just like her. I wanted to see and hear music the way she does; puzzle pieces that fit together, even if the pieces aren't from the same puzzle.

When I realized that I was tone deaf—around age nine—I worried I would be a disappointment to my moms. Even if mom didn't see music the same way ma did, it was still so important to her. I'd already heard plenty of stories about the Bellas from Aunt Chloe and mom. Not to mention how often mom or ma would break into song. It was usually them quietly singing to themselves as they made dinner or cleaned, but occasionally—usually in the car—a song would come on the radio and they would both sing along, exchanging smiles, their hands fitted together perfectly.

My fear of disappointing them was huge. Music and singing played a part in so much of their history, and even some of mine. And then to realize I couldn't sing and my interests were drifting towards science. It seemed inevitable that I would be a disappointment.

It wasn't until I was twelve that I realized that my moms had known the entire time and had encouraged it.

Aunt Lily had recently moved back after getting a job at AMMC running her own lab and told me she needed an assistant for a weekend project—which turned out to be the time travel watch, which I wouldn't find out about for a few months.

"Please moms, please can I?" I pleaded.

"Your ma and I need to talk about it, sweetie," mom replied.

"What's there to talk about?" I questioned. "It's like an internship; and I'll be learning on my free time." Presenting it as educational to my mom seemed like the best approach.

"You say that like you don't already spend your free time learning, kid," ma said. "All those rocket kits or that hydro building thing; not to mention all those textbooks you read for **fun**."

"Yeah, but the books are just theory," I protested. "Working with Aunt Lily will let me... apply all my knowledge.

"Don't look at me," ma said to mom. "That's all you, Bree."

"Claire, honey, of course we want you to pursue whatever interest you," mom starts. "But I think you might be a little too young to work with your Aunt Lily."

"I'm practically a teenager."

Ma chuckles. "You just turned twelve, kid."

"I know."

"Why don't you let me and your mom talk about it, okay?" ma suggested.

I nodded. "Just keep in mind that I really, really, really, **really** want to do this," I said.

"You don't say," ma grinned as she pushed me out of the kitchen.

I slowly climbed the stairs, stopping at the top and sitting down.

"And no listening from the step!" ma ordered a moment later.

I didn't move, hoping they'd think I had gotten up and moved.

"Claire!" mom warned a minute later.

"I'm going," I shouted, standing and stomping to my room.

As I laid on my bed, I went over the conversation in my head—trying to gauge if they'd say yes—and I realized that they'd been encouraging my interest in science and engineering for years. The fact that I had my own account at The Book Hut which I visited weekly was a definite sign. Even if they said no about Aunt Lily, at least I knew they were okay with the fact that music wouldn't be my thing.

 **…**

It takes a while to find the right songs to fill up the flash drive with, but eventually I have twelve songs on it that are romantic and/or full of meaning. What's sort of crazy is that I actually recognize a couple of songs that I've heard ma use before—or later?

I look around the booth and find a small box in the garbage. I pull it out and slip the flash drive inside. There's a marker next to the mixing board, so I write AUBREY on the box. Standing, I look around the booth, making sure everything is mostly how I found it. I switch off the light and stumble towards the exit.

Delivery is the next issue, but considering that they usually have Bellas rehearsal daily, I figure the rehearsal space is the best place to leave it, especially since mom is most likely to be the first to arrive.

I hurry across campus in record time. The door is locked, so once again, I pick the lock and slip inside.

It takes a little time for my eyes to adjust to the darkness. But once they do, I make my way to the piano, and set the box where I know mom will see it.

The question is what to do now? Because I could really use some sleep. I decide to jump a few hours into the future and see if I can find Aunt Lily. I'm sure she'll let me crash in her room if I ask. I program the watch and press the button.

* * *

Chapter Seven: Part Three

Aubrey is officially smitten. "Dating Beca" is so different than "Bellas Beca". Cuddling on the couch and just talking, really was a perfect first date. It gave them a chance to get to know each other beyond who they are in rehearsal. But what Aubrey finds even more unexpected is that she knows she wouldn't want **just** "dating Beca". Beca admitting that she enjoys arguing with Aubrey caused the blonde to examine her own feelings a little bit closer; and she realized that she doesn't mind fighting either.

 **…**

There's a small box on the piano when Aubrey arrives to prepare for rehearsal. It has her name written on it in block letters. She opens it to find a flash drive inside, similar to the ones she remembers seeing on Beca's desk. She crushes the box in her hand before throwing it in the trash. She stuffs the flash drive in her purse and begins to prepare for rehearsal.

Except she can't help but wonder what Beca's scheme is. Is she hoping that Aubrey will listen to it now that they're... doing whatever it is that they're doing? Or would she eventually have tried this approach anyway?

Aubrey doesn't want to be angry. After all, Beca hasn't technically broken the rules.

Taking a deep breath, Aubrey calms slightly, deciding that she'll wait and see what Beca does at rehearsal.

 **…**

Aubrey is almost glad that she's expected to argue with Beca and be short with everyone because she's feeling extra irritable. Beca doesn't seem fazed by how Aubrey's treating her. In fact, it seems like she's deliberately provoking her. They actually get into a ten minute argument when Aubrey wants to end rehearsal with an extra round of cardio.

Chloe finally intervenes and pronounces rehearsal over. Everyone rushes out—probably afraid that Aubrey will call them back.

Once it's just Aubrey and Chloe, her best friend shoots her an odd look.

"You okay?" Chloe asks.

"Fine," Aubrey replies. "I just want us to be in tip top shape."

"We're doing fine, Aubrey," Chloe tells her. "You were kind of harsh today."

"I was the way a captain needs to be to get her team ready for semi finals."

"And that argument with Beca at the end?"

"She was provoking me the entire rehearsal," Aubrey points out.

"Maybe," Chloe says. "But still, maybe you could give her a break."

"Alt girl can take care of herself just fine, Chloe," Aubrey replies.

"You're not worried that you're going to drive her to quit?" Chloe questions.

"She's not going to quit," Aubrey retorts. "She's too damn stubborn." That and she has a deal with her dad that doesn't really allow her to. Aubrey wonders if Chloe knows about the deal.

"Still, maybe you could—"

"Chloe," Aubrey interjects. "We're done talking about Beca Mitchell, all right?"

Chloe sighs loudly, but nods.

"Great. I've got homework to do," Aubrey tells her before stalking out.

Feeling extremely agitated, Aubrey tries to calm herself as she slows from her angry stomping towards the library.

Her phone announces a text message and pulling it out, Aubrey sees it's from Beca.

 _You're so fucking hot when you're pissed off. Sorry about the cardio argument, but I just couldn't resist._

Aubrey reads the message three times, her cheeks feeling warm. It's one thing to know that Beca likes fighting with her, it's another to be told that Beca's even more attracted to her when she's angry. And suddenly, instead of angry, she's turned on. She really wishes she didn't have an ethics paper due in a few days because she really wants to find Beca, slam her against a wall and kiss her until neither of them can stand.

 _Apology accepted, but the next time we're alone, you're going to be in trouble._

Looking forward to it.

Aubrey grins. Challenge accepted.

 _Go study._

 _You too_ , Aubrey texts back, knowing Beca has a test tomorrow. Once her phone is away, Aubrey sighs and wishes she wasn't so responsible as she continues her hike to the library.


	8. Chapter 8

Aubrey's starting to feel a little bit guilty keeping secrets from Chloe. They've been best friends since freshman year when they joined the Bellas together. Because it's not just not telling Chloe that she and Beca are... doing whatever they're doing. It's also the fights in rehearsal or pretending to be annoyed whenever Chloe brings up Beca's name.

But at the same time, there's always a twinge of jealousy when she sees Chloe and Beca interact. Though Beca assures Aubrey that she's not interested in dating Chloe, Aubrey knows that Chloe definitely has a crush on Beca. Which makes keeping things a secret much worse; Aubrey is a horrible best friend.

If only keeping their relationship a secret wasn't the only logical choice. The fact is that both she and Beca feel the need for the privacy to truly get to know each other, that no one else knowing will just make it easier. They're both so private and this... thing they're doing feels so precious and perfect, that involving anyone too soon would definitely ruin it.

But what makes it even tougher is that Aubrey wishes she could share her happiness with her best friend. Aubrey hasn't felt like this about someone in a long time and she wants to share her joy with Chloe. But she can't. Not yet, it's too soon. They just have to make it to Nationals. Once they qualify, Aubrey can relax slightly and things will seem a bit easier. At least that's what she keeps telling herself.

* * *

Chapter Eight: Part Two

Feeling fully rested, I manage to take a quick shower before slipping into a bathroom stall and jumping ahead a few days. I make my way to the quad to see if my moms have gotten together yet. Instead, I see ma sitting under her usual tree with the Treble. I can see that they're joking around and laughing and I let out a frustrated sigh as I see ma teasingly pushing him away.

Apparently the flash drive wasn't enough for mom to approach ma. Of course they need more than one push. I find another tree nearby where I can watch ma and come up with another idea.

 **…**

As long as I can remember, ma has never been a fan of movies. Growing up, she'd watch them with me if I asked, but her first instinct was to tell me to ask mom or call Aunt Chloe. Because of that—and other reasons that have only been hinted at—she's also not a fan of romantic gestures, grand or cliché. Their anniversary has always been celebrated with little fanfare; well, Aunt Chloe made a big deal about them, but my moms never seemed inclined to. Or if there were, I was never privy to any of it. Not that I wanted to know, because I really didn't. It just always felt odd to me. Ma adores mom so much; and even though they argue constantly, no one doubts how much in love they are. But I don't even remember them doing anything for Valentines' Day.

Up until I was sixteen, I truly thought they did absolutely nothing for their anniversary. But then I came home from school early and found ma in the kitchen instead of her studio. I knew she had a deadline looming and had been working extra hours for days. I'd barely seen her for an entire week. Their anniversary had actually been a couple days before. And it's not like ma didn't come up for more coffee or taking a break to stretch her legs—something mom said she didn't do enough—but it was obvious that she was in the kitchen for another reason. She was leaning against the counter wearing the smile that's reserved solely for mom as she read a card.

She looked just as surprised to see me. "Hey kid." She glanced at the microwave. "Are you skipping? Didn't think you had it in you." Ma was always much more causal about any delinquency I might engage in.

"Gas leak," I told her.

She nodded and tucked the card into her the back pocket of her jeans.

"What was that?" I asked.

"A card from your mom," she admitted, reluctantly.

Genuinely curious, I asked, "For what?"

"Our anniversary," ma said.

"Seriously?"

"You don't have to sound so surprised, kid," ma retorted.

"Yeah, no, I just… you guys never seem to, uh, do anything for your anniversary," I explained.

"What? Because we don't let Chloe throw us a party?" ma questioned.

I just shrugged. My moms' relationship is something that works, but no one quite understands, even years later. This includes those who were there from the beginning and know them well. Me trying to explain this, however, is a lost cause. Just as we're all confused, they're confused by our confusion. "No, it's just… I don't know. You got her a card too, right?"

"Don't be ridiculous, of course I did," ma replied.

"Homemade or…" Because the card ma was reading didn't look store bought.

"Why do you care?"

I shrug again. "Just curious, I guess."

"Again, why?" ma asked.

"Can't I just be curious?" I replied. "You guys are supposed to be my example of a good relationship. Excuse me for wanting to know."

Ma grins. "Fair enough." She pulls the card back out of her pocket. "We usually just exchange blank cards. Your mom likes to make lists. This year it was things I did that drove her crazy that she reluctantly also found endearing."

I definitely hadn't been expecting that. "What did you write in your card to mom?"

She looked sheepish. "Ummm… song lyrics."

"That's it?" I question. "Kind of lazy, ma."

"Whatever, your mom loved her card," ma replied. "Plus, I make sure she knows how much I love her every day."

"I know," I told her because I saw evidence of it, constantly.

"Anyway, I need to go to the Right Round Music," she said, sticking the card back into her pocket. "Want to come with?"

I love going to Right Round Music with ma. It's a vintage music store that specializes in hard to come by music, like cassette tapes and records. Ma goes there when she's lacking in inspiration. "Yeah, I just need to throw my bag in my room," I told her.

We spent the afternoon hanging out. After Right Round Music, we stopped at the grocery store and bought the ingredients for Eggplant Parmesan, mom's favorite. We made dinner together and finished just in time for mom to come home.  
It was a fun afternoon and evening; spending the afternoon with ma didn't happen as frequently as it used to. And though I had a bit more insight into my moms' relationship, I didn't feel that I understood it any better.

 **…**

I'm shaken from my memories by Aunt Lily joining me.

"Why the long face?" she asks.

"Look at that," I say, pointing at ma and the Treble laughing together.

Aunt Lily nods. "Nothing seems to have changed in the last couple of days. Whatever you attempted, did not work."

"Figures," I scoff. "They're both so stubborn."

"You're just going to have to try something a little more definite."

I nod.

"Which one did you approach?" Aunt Lily asks.

"Mom, I mean, Aubrey," I reply.

"Then perhaps approaching Beca would be better."

"I guess."

"Just think of something they did while you were growing up," Aunt Lily suggests.

After some deliberation, I decide that I need to call a florist.

"Flowers? Really?" Aunt Lily questions.

"Trust me," I nod.

Still looking skeptical, she hands over her phone and offers the number of a florist from memory. I explain what I'm looking for and after a bit of negotiation and an offer of more money—because delivering a single rose is unusual and doesn't meet their minimum delivery amount—they agree. Of course, when they ask what I want written on the accompanying card, I'm caught off guard and paraphrase the first romantic movie line I think of. I then panic a bit when they ask about payment, but Aunt Lily just tells me to charge it to her account. Because she apparently orders from Mercury Flowers enough to have an account. I also tell them to add on a tip for the delivery person because I know ma definitely won't.

"Thanks," I tell her, handing her phone back, still curious why Aunt Lily is ordering from the florist so often.

"You're paying me back," Aunt Lily says.

"Ummm..."

"When you get back," Aunt Lily explains.

"That's like twenty–five years from now," I remind her.

"Well, then just be glad I'm not charging you interest," she smiles.

I just nod because I probably should have expected that.

"When are they going to deliver it?"

"Later this afternoon," I reply, returning my gaze to ma with the Treble.

"Well then we'll have to see if anything is different at rehearsal tomorrow," Aunt Lily says.

"I guess."

"Cheer up," Aunt Lily tells me. "You've only tried one thing."

"I know."

"And it's not like you can't keep jumping around," she points out.

"Yeah, but I also can't jump to some time I've already been," I counter.

"I know," Aunt Lily says. "Luckily for you, the watch helps keep track of that for you."

"It's still frustrating," I scoff.

"Time travel is a difficult thing, kiddo," Aunt Lily replies. "I'm sure I already told you that."

"You have."

"Well apparently you didn't believe me," she retorts.

"I did," I reply. "I just didn't think—"

"Exactly," she interjects. "You didn't think. And it's not like we don't all make mistakes. But when you do, you are responsible for fixing them. Right?"

"Yeah," I huff.

"Keep giving me attitude and I won't have you help me next time around," Aunt Lily says.

"Won't that make some sort of time paradox?" I ask.

"Not sure," Aunt Lily shrugs. "I guess it depends what kind of future you're creating."

I groan and slump against the tree. Aunt Lily chuckles.

* * *

Chapter Eight: Part Three

The knock on Beca's door is somewhat unexpected. She hopes it's Aubrey responding to Beca's text that Kimmy Jin will be gone for a few hours. The need for secrecy means they have to take advantage of every opportunity they're given.

Instead it's a flower delivery for Beca. She accepts it wordlessly and kicks the door shut. She probably should have tipped him, but it's not like she has any cash to offer.

Sitting on the bed, she takes in the single red rose and simple white card that accompanies it. Beca reads the card three times, hoping for a clue of who sent it.

 _I just wanted you to know that to me you are perfect and my wasted heart will love you until we're both old and gray._

Though there's obvious no clues about who they're from, Beca knows they're not from Aubrey. It's definitely too soon for anything like this and honestly, it doesn't feel like Aubrey's style. Though Beca can't predict how long she and Aubrey will last, she has a feeling they'll never be one of those couples who send each other flowers.

Which leaves Jesse as the most likely culprit. And the more Beca thinks about it, the more it makes sense. It **totally** feels like a Jesse move. It basically screams cheesy rom com movie gesture. In fact, Beca's pretty sure it is an actual movie quote; because it sounds like something she's heard before.

Apparently Beca hasn't been clear about just wanting to be friends. Maybe she needs to avoid him for a while as a response to the rose and declaration.

Another knock on the door has Beca literally dropping the rose and card on the floor. Assuming it's Aubrey, Beca shoves both under the bed and then jumps to answer the door.

 **…**

Finding time and places where no one will find out they're dating is proving difficult. They tried Aubrey's room once, but it was cut short when Chloe came home early and Beca was forced to hide under the bed until it was time for Bellas' rehearsal. Because of that, Beca was late, but it resulted in a really good argument, so it sort of worked out.

So it's not totally surprising when Aubrey texts Beca and tells her to meet Aubrey by her car one afternoon. What does surprise her is the fact that Aubrey drives a Audi roadster. She'd been expecting something more practical. Beca considers it a pleasant surprise because the sight of Aubrey, leaning against the metallic silver door is hot as fucking hell and an image Beca never wants to forget.

Even Aubrey's self-conscious explanation of the car being a hand me down from her dad doesn't take away from how sexy Aubrey is in the driver's seat.

"I'm impressed that you were able to be on time," Aubrey teases as she starts the convertible.

"Hot car, even hotter girl; of course I'm going to be on time," Beca replies, buckling her seat belt. Aubrey rolls her eyes at Beca before backing out of the space, though Beca can see the slight blush on her cheeks.

They drive in relative silence, the radio playing quietly in the background. Beca's content to lean against the window, facing Aubrey and watching her drive. The further they get away from Barden, the more the tension seems to melt off Aubrey. Relaxed Aubrey is stunning and Beca wishes she could take her hand, even though she knows the blonde needs it for shifting gears. Even if they're going sixty and probably will be for a while, Beca is unwilling to interrupt the flow of Aubrey's driving.

"You're not going to ask where we're going?" Aubrey questions.

"Nope," Beca replies. "Like I said, hot car, gorgeous girl—"

"Gorgeous?"

It's half mocking, half questioning, throwing Beca slightly, but she grins a little wider as she nods. "Yep. Gorgeous. Stunning. Breath taking. Radiant. Exquisite—"

"That's enough," Aubrey interjects.

"You really are, though," Beca says. "Totally out of my league."

Aubrey scoffs.

"Completely and totally out of my league," Beca repeats.

"You're being ridiculous," Aubrey tells her. "You're just as beautiful."

She really hadn't been fishing for a compliment. "Thanks."

"Do you really not know that?" Aubrey asks. "How do you explain all the people that hit on you?"

"What? Like Jesse and Luke? Please," Beca scoffs. "That's because of these." She grabs her boobs.

Though she's driving, Aubrey's eyes follow Beca's hands.

Beca smirks as she drops her hands to her lap.

"Well those, uh, certainly, uh, help," Aubrey stammers. "But that's not the only reason."

Beca just chuckles.

They drive another thirty minutes or so before pulling into a dirt parking lot. Beca's not sure what to think as they exit the convertible because it seems like Aubrey brought her to a skeet shooting range. She glances at the roadster, which looks out of place next to half a dozen different trucks. The mustang parked a few cars over does reassure her a little bit. Allowing her focus to return to where she actually is.

"Uh, Aubrey..."

Grinning, Aubrey takes Beca's hand and pulls her towards the door. "C'mon, it'll be fun. I promise."

Beca watchrd in awe as Aubrey talks to the guy behind the counter, smiling and laughing—it's obvious this is not her first time here—and then leads Beca to a stall. Aubrey explains how her dad taught her how to shoot skeet and she thought it'd be fun to teach Beca as well. Still finding herself feeling a bit awestruck, Beca nods and lets herself be maneuvered into position as Aubrey begins explaining how to shoot a gun.

Because of the hostility between them during rehearsal because of the set list, Beca has kind of forgotten that Aubrey is actually a good teacher. She's patient and thorough and never allows Beca to feel stupid for asking a question or messing up.

They don't actually get to the point of Beca trying to shoot a clay pigeon, but they both seem to agree that this could become a regular thing.

After her lesson, Beca is able to talk Aubrey into shooting a few rounds of skeet and it's hot as hell to hear her yell, "Pull!" and shoot each disc.

Beca really tries to reign it in. Jumping Aubrey in the parking lot of a shooting range is probably a bad idea. But it's been a couple of days since she's been able to properly kiss Aubrey, so Beca ends up pushing Aubrey against the side of her convertible and kissing her. Pressing herself against her, Beca's hand slip into the back pockets of Aubrey's jeans. Aubrey's arms are pulling Beca tighter as Beca loses herself in the feel of being wrapped around Aubrey, her lips moving against hers.

Aubrey comes to her senses first and breaks the kiss. Beca should probably be embarrassed by the whimper she lets out when Aubrey gently pushes her away, but kissing Aubrey feels like something she could do forever; it's definitely something that doesn't happen enough.

"We should probably go," Aubrey tells her.

Beca nods numbly and climbs into the roadster.

"It's your fault anyway," Beca states once they're driving away.

"My fault?" Aubrey questions.

"Watching you shoot that gun was sexy as hell," Beca explains.

"Don't be ridiculous."

"Outrageously hot," Beca repeats.

Aubrey is definitely blushing and Beca is just glad that Aubrey realizes how amazing she is.

To Beca's surprise, they don't head back to Barden immediately. Instead Aubrey takes her to a cozy little place called Iris's Cafe. They are seated at an intimate table in the corner.

"I hope you don't mind," Aubrey says once the waitress takes their order. "But I'm not ready to go back quiet yet."

"I'm not either," Beca admits.

Dinner is delicious. They talk a bit about their childhoods and Beca learns about how demanding Aubrey's dad was growing up. While Beca talks a little about her parents' divorce and how it led to her immersion in music to cope.

The conversation turns to how Chloe and Aubrey met and their auditioning for the Bellas. It's a fine line to walk, because it would be very easy to segue way into the present Bellas, but they are both extremely aware of it and make an obvious effort to avoid that direction. Which is how the conversation eventually becomes Aubrey trying to convince Beca to go running with her some morning.

"No way in hell," Beca tells her.

"It'd be a great way to hang out," Aubrey replies. "You said it yourself, there's no one around in the morning."

"Because you get up at too damn early in the morning," Beca returns. "Birds aren't even up yet."

"You're exaggerating," Aubrey says.

"But only a little," Beca replies. "I don't believe in running."

"You don't believe in running?" Aubrey scoffs. "What if you were being chased?"

"Why am I being chased?" Beca questions. "Zombies?"

"So the only time you'd run is if you were being chased by zombies?" Aubrey asks.

"Or similar scenarios," Beca says.

The check appears at that point and after a brief argument, Beca lets Aubrey pay.

Once the bill is settled, Aubrey stands and takes Beca's hand, leading her out of the cafe. As they're approaching the register, Beca happens to glance over and see a stack of business cards. She snatches one as they pass. Aubrey shoots her a questioning look once they're outside.

"I just wanted something to remember today," Beca shrugs. "It's been perfect, right?"

"It has been," Aubrey agrees. "But are you saying that without that card, you'd forget?"

"More like it's a visual representation of how happy I am at the moment."

"Who knew you could be so sentimental?" Aubrey teases.

"I am not, shut up," Beca tells her; and then stomps to the car.

Aubrey's laughter, as it follows her to the car, is Beca's new favorite sound; and something Beca is going to make it her goal to hear as often as possible.

Beca doesn't want to go back to Barden yet, though she knows they have to. It's been a perfect afternoon, but it is getting late. Before Aubrey starts the car, Beca leans over for a kiss, not sure what the protocol will be once they're back on campus. It's a gentle sentiment, a reflection of how joyful Beca is feeling—even though she's definitely not ready to admit it—but being with Aubrey feels so easy, so sure, so right; like all the pieces are slipping into place.

Maybe this thing between her and Aubrey really has a chance of working. Yes, keeping it a secret hasn't been as easy as Beca had been expecting, but if it means that they'll eventually get to a point where they have days like this all the time, Beca is willing to keep hiding a little bit longer.

The drive back to Barden is spent watching Aubrey drive. Beca's worried that "relaxed Aubrey" will start to dissolve as they get closer to Barden. But it doesn't seem to. Beca hopes it's reflective of how Aubrey feels about the day they've had.

"So what exactly does hand me down car mean?" Beca asks.

This seems to turn Aubrey pensive. "I never knew why, but my father didn't like this car. Eventually, he found a car that he liked better and he gave it to me. Told me it would help me look more like the winner I'm supposed to be."

"Oh," Beca says. "So it's supposed to, uh, inspire you into being who he wants you to be?"

"Basically," Aubrey agrees. "Even though I did very well my first two years here, it still wasn't good enough for him. To my father, the car was motivation to work harder, be better. The Bellas getting to the finals last year was one those things. A cappella singing might not be what he was referring to, but being the best at anything I try is what he wanted from me."

"Oh."

"And when I... fucked that up, he was so disappointed in me. I couldn't even win an a cappella contest. How could he expect me to actually do well at something that matters."

Beca's not sure what to say to that, so she just stays quiet and reaches for Aubrey's hand.

"I know it's extravagant," Aubrey says. "I said as much to my father when he gave it to me, but he was insistent. And even though it was a car he didn't want, he didn't have to give it to me. He could have easily traded it in instead. The fact that he wanted me to have it, no matter the reason; I had to take it. And now, I'm glad I did."

Beca nods, but has a feeling she's missing something. Actually, she's pretty certain. After all, there's still so much they haven't talked about yet. Beca wants to make a joke again, but it doesn't feel appropriate, so she just squeezes Aubrey's hand in support. It's apparently just the thing to do; because Aubrey squeezes back, a wistful smile on her face.

The rest of the drive passes in compatible silence. When they arrive back at Barden, Beca's not quite willing to get out of the car. Luckily, Aubrey seems to feel the same way.

"We should definitely do this again," Beca says.

"Of course we will," Aubrey replies. "You didn't even really get a chance to shoot any skeet."

"Which I am totally fine with," Beca retorts. "I'd rather just watch you shoot."

"Are you sure it's just not the badass being afraid she won't be good at it?" Aubrey teases.

"Or maybe I just really like watching you," Beca counters. "Confident Aubrey is super fucking hot."

"Nice cover," Aubrey chuckles.

"It's true," Beca shrugs.

Aubrey shakes her head, like she still can't believe how much Beca is into her; which is absurd, how could Beca not be?

The need to express that, and more, is on the tip of Beca's tongue—and it's far too soon for what Beca really wants to say. So Beca pushes the urge down and says, "I should probably go."

Aubrey nods. "See you tomorrow at rehearsal?"

Beca grins. "Can't wait." And it's true. Though her opinion about the set list hasn't changed, she still looks forward to arguing with Aubrey over it or anything else.

Aubrey grins in response, and shoos Beca out of the car.

Beca glances around, making sure no one's around before slipping out. Despite wanting to, she doesn't glance behind her as she heads for her dorm. It would just make it harder for her to keep walking. Instead, Beca concentrates on getting back before Aubrey does, so she can text her good night before she falls asleep.

 **…**

The fact that Beca's spending her afternoon making mixes instead of studying is nothing new. And sitting in the quad has become a thing. In hopes of keeping her dad off her back. If he ever asks, she can say she's sitting with other people, even if she's wearing headphones, it still totally counts, right?

Beca's been resisting making mixes for Aubrey. She knows once she starts, it will become a regular thing. But more importantly, it'll mean that her feelings for Aubrey are reaching the point of no return. And it feels too soon for that since it's only been two weeks. The date they had the other day was kind of perfect and Beca had already been so into Aubrey before, that she really can't keep lying to herself. She's falling in love with Aubrey Posen.

Which is why today she caved and starting making a mix for Aubrey.

Of course the other reason she's been holding back is because she can't give it to Aubrey yet. It's not just that it's too soon, but also because Aubrey will take it the wrong way. Beca knows there's a very good chance that Aubrey will think that it's Beca trying to change the set list. And while Beca's still against their current set list, she also has every intention of following the rules they came up with. So she'll wait. She can make mixes for Aubrey and wait for the right moment to give them to her.

Deciding her eyes need a break, Beca looks up from her laptop and is surprised to find Lily next to her. She's also leaning against the tree and is highlighting things in a physics textbook.

Beca's a bit embarrassed that she's not quite sure how long Lily has been sitting next to her. She watches her out of the corner of her eye, not sure if she should say anything. Besides the fact that Beca has trouble really hearing what she says, Beca's a little afraid of Lily.

After a few minutes of consideration, Beca decides not to question things. It could just be a one time thing. So she puts her headphones back on and returns to her mix.


	9. Chapter 9

Aubrey's confused by Beca's text telling her to meet in the rehearsal space. Their agreement to keep the Bellas and their relationship separate extends to the Bellas' space itself. She hopes that it's just a good location to meet.

It's late, so the space is locked. Aubrey arrives to find Beca there waiting for her, a stuffed messenger bag thrown over her shoulder.

"Do you mind opening it?" Beca asks, gesturing to the door. "I promise I'll explain inside."

Aubrey nods, swallowing her need to argue, because there is definitely a chance someone will see them together if they're out in the open too long. It's late, but not that late. Besides, she'd rather argue somewhere a bit more private.

"So I know that we agreed that the rehearsal space was in the, uh, Bellas category," Beca starts. "But I'm hoping that the roof doesn't count."

Beca looks so hopeful and Aubrey is curious what Beca has planned. "I suppose that's fine."

Beca drags Aubrey to the far corner of the space where there's an iron ladder attached to the wall.

"I'll go first so you can enjoy the view, " Beca says as she starts to climb.

Aubrey scoffs as she waits for Beca to climb a bit before following her. It's a long climb, but she does admit the view upwards is nice. However, she also worries about getting in trouble. Students aren't allowed on roofs. But Aubrey's been trying to relax a bit more with Beca, so she tells herself to let it go. The hatch to the roof isn't locked which seems unsafe, but Aubrey continues to follow Beca onto the roof.

Beca leads Aubrey to an already inflated pool mattress. She sets down her bag and pulls out two blankets. She lays the first on the float and sits on it. She pats the fabric, encouraging Aubrey to join her.

"Water?" Beca asks, offering Aubrey a bottle from her bag once the blonde has sat down.

Aubrey accepts it and sets it on the ground next to her. Beca does the same with another bottle. They stretch out together and spend the blanket over themselves.

"I can't help but notice that all your ideas seem to be about getting me to lie down with you," Aubrey teases.

"We're star gazing," Beca pouts. "It's supposed to be romantic."

"Does that mean you know the constellations?" Aubrey asks.

"Uh..."

Aubrey laughs.

Beca elbows her and then rolls onto her right side, facing Aubrey, who in turn, rolls onto her left to face Beca.

"So there just happens to be a mattress up here?" Aubrey asks.

"Course not," Beca replies. "I came up here earlier to check things out and blow it up. It took forever to inflate."

"You're sweet."

"I just figured if you wouldn't lie on that couch, the roof would definitely be out of the question," Beca explains.

That is one hundred percent true. Aubrey leans in for a kiss. It's too soon for much more and they eventually pull apart, laying side by side, Beca's head on Aubrey's shoulder, allowing her to wrap left arm around Beca.

Aubrey's never felt more comfortable and relaxed with anyone. As is their way, they both seem content to enjoy the silence between them.

"Did you and your dad ever get along?"

Beca tenses in her arms, but doesn't make a move to sit up like Aubrey was expecting.

"He used to tell me bedtime stories every night," Beca eventually says. "It wasn't until years later that I realized he was just paraphrasing his favorite books. And even though I wouldn't go to bed without hearing him tell me some sort of story, his love of books and literature never really transferred to me. I did okay in school, but I never had that... academic drive. It was never said, but it's obvious I disappointed him."

"Beca..."

"Him demanding I come here isn't really that surprising," Beca continues. "I mean, it did catch me off guard, because I'd spent so many years trying not to think about him, you know? And we hadn't really talked in years—my choice. But there's no way he'd let his daughter get away with skipping college, especially if she could go for free. The fact that he offered to help me get to LA, though, **that** is surprising, shocking even."

"So you're still leaving at the end of the year?" It's too soon to have this conversation in relation to their relationship, but the question still slips out.

"Uh... probably," Beca replies, not sounding certain.

"Oh."

"You could come with me," Beca offers.

Aubrey has no response to this. While it's true that she could, it feels too soon for anything like that. After all, if Beca stayed at Barden, it wouldn't be solely because of Aubrey.

"I mean, if you wanted to," Beca says when Aubrey doesn't reply. "I was just thinking out loud. But it's definitely way too early to even joke about that."

"Sorry," Aubrey says. "I just... you caught me off guard, is all. I didn't think that you would even... I mean, like you said, it's..." Aubrey sighs.

"Can we just pretend like I didn't say that?" Beca requests. "I so didn't want tonight to be about our futures or whatever."

"I know," Aubrey says. And she does. Though the fact that Beca is even thinking along those lines is an unexpected delight that Aubrey can't let herself enjoy just quite yet. It's too soon.

"Good," Beca replies. "Instead, you can help me solve the mystery of why Lily's decided that she and I should be hanging out."

Huh? "What does that mean?"

Beca precedes to explain how Lily's been silently sitting next to her in the quad the past couple days. It's a strange occurrence that has them both distracted from heavier topics—those can definitely be saved for another day.

 **…**

The next morning, Aubrey returns from her run happier than usual. She spent the time thinking about her date last night with Beca and she can't seem to stop smiling. She hums to herself as she opens the fridge and pulls out some orange juice.

"Someone's in a good mood," Chloe says, taking the orange juice from Aubrey and pouring herself some as well.

"I had a good run," Aubrey replies, setting her glass down.

"Oh, I thought that maybe you were finally relaxing a bit," Chloe says.

"It's the exercise endorphins," Aubrey tells Chloe. "Please let me enjoy them. Rehearsal starts in a few hours and I definitely won't be relaxed then."

"Are you sure?" Chloe asks. "Because you seemed, I don't know, less tense yesterday."

Aubrey takes another drink of her orange juice as she thinks about yesterday afternoon's rehearsal. They'd done a bit more cardio than usual which had resulted in a lot of grumbling, but everyone, except Fat Amy had done it. They'd run through the set list four times and Aubrey had only stopped because it seemed like people were getting tired enough to start making mistakes. "It was a typical rehearsal. And no one complained too much."

"Beca did," Chloe replies. "She was griped about the extra cardio and she was pissed for the entire last run of the routine."

Did she? Beca whining about the amount of cardio is standard, but Aubrey hadn't really noticed yesterday. She'd—admittedly—been a bit distracted by the texts that "dating Beca" had been sending her earlier in the day. "Beca hates everything I do. I wasn't in the mood to listen to her yesterday, so I just blocked her out."

"I don't think that's it," Chloe says. "I think maybe you might be starting to like her a little."

"Don't be absurd, Chloe," Aubrey snaps, panicking. "Just because I didn't feel like wasting any energy on Beca Mitchell yesterday, doesn't mean I actually like her."

Chloe looks hurt and Aubrey feels bad, but she can't have Chloe thinking she likes Beca. At least not yet; she's not ready. She throws Chloe an apologetic look and goes to shower.

 **…**

Aubrey spends the walk to rehearsal trying to lower her panic. If Chloe noticed that she was being nice to Beca, then what if the others noticed too? That means, it'll only be a matter of time until someone realizes they're... whatever. And Aubrey's not ready for that. She's been enjoying the little bubble she and Beca have been existing in. Plus, Aubrey worries that she'll lose "dating Beca" if the others find out; even when it's just her and Beca.

Not to mention, Chloe. At first, Aubrey thought it was just an interest in connecting with someone who "embodies music"—Chloe's words. But as the year continues, it seems more like a crush, like Chloe might make a move if she was getting a signal from Beca. And though Aubrey knows Beca wouldn't deliberately lead Chloe on; she also knows that Beca is a bit oblivious. Aubrey's seen her with the Treble—seen how he looks at her. He's so desperately looking for a signal, thinking that Beca's friendship means that they might be more some day.

By the time rehearsal starts, Aubrey is a swirling mess of fear, jealousy, guilt and panic, which is definitely not good. She really doesn't need all that in addition to the usual tension she feels during Bellas' rehearsals. She takes several breaths and tries to calm down. She's not very successful.

* * *

Chapter Nine: Part Two

I'm feeling pretty good about the flowers. Though ma scoffs at romantic gestures, the fact that mom sends her those flowers every year has to mean something.

I find another hiding spot behind some folded up bleachers because it's good to always keep moving. Mom taught me that.

The rehearsal starts with cardio as usual. Mom seems extra harsh today, there's a lot more yelling than the last time I watched rehearsal.

I glance around the bleachers and see that I'm not the only one who's noticed. Aunt Chloe is shooting mom questioning looks, which mom is pointedly ignoring. The cardio also continues longer than expected. Despite my distance, I can easily see how worn out and irritated everyone is getting.

Ma is the one that finally stops and refuses to continue. Mom orders her back, but ma just ignores her and downs a bottle of water. Chloe slows and the others follow, watching Mom approach ma who is surprisingly walking around the chairs to—I assume—cool down.

"What the aca-hell are you doing?" mom asks as she blocks ma's path.

"Does adding aca make it not count as swearing?" ma retorts, stepping around mom. "Because then you should use something more serious."

"Why can't you be a team player?" mom questions as she tries to block ma's path again.

"Just because I refuse to acknowledge your dictatorship doesn't mean I'm not a team player," ma scoffs as she allows her path to be blocked.

"Dictatorship?!"

Ma smirks. "Did I stutter?"

Mom seethes for a moment and then says, "Who exactly are you trying to impress here, Beca? No one here buys your little rebellion act."

Ma's postures relaxes even more as mom's tenses. "Well if that's what you want to call me speaking up, whatever."

"You're disrespectful and disruptive," mom growls, stepping closer to ma. "The worst example of a Bella that I've ever seen."

"Then why don't you kick me out?" ma questions. "Oh, you can't. You need me."

"Oh please," mom scoffs. "We just needs a singer. You're easily replaceable. It's you that needs us."

"The hell I do," ma scoffs, leaning closer.

"Are you sure about that?" mom asks. "Whether you're kicked off or you quit, it still means you didn't last the year. And that would nullify the deal, wouldn't it?"

What deal is she talking about? I'm not the only one wondering. The other Bellas are sitting on various bleachers watching the argument with interest. Especially because the last statement has ma looking murderous. She gets right in mom's face and growls, "And you were so worried about me breaking the rules."

Mom looks contrite at that, but quickly resumes her glaring.

"I'm done for the day," ma says, taking a big step back. She looks over at the bleachers. "I'm out of here.."

Aunt Chloe jumps up and blocks her exit. "Beca, please." Her face is full of pleading and though I can't see ma's face, I can tell by the slump of her shoulders that she's going to give in.

"Fine," ma grumbles.

Aunt Chloe's grin is dazzling.

"But keep her away from me," ma continues.

"Of course," Aunt Chloe nods.

Mom, meanwhile, is staring at them, looking heartbroken and jealous. It is so dam obvious that she likes ma. Is that why she was acting the way she was?

I watch them go through the routine a few times, the whole space drowning in tension while the other Bellas constantly look at mom and ma, obviously waiting for another blow up. But they both behave themselves. Mom only giving the most basic orders and ma not saying anything.

So apparently the flowers weren't the solution I thought they'd be. Oh, god, what if the flowers are the reason mom is so pissed? Except, why would she be? How is it that after fifteen years, I still don't understand my moms' marriage?

Once rehearsal is over, I lean against the stack of bleachers and let out a frustrated groan. I quickly cover my mouth and listen. It's always possible that someone is around to hear me, but after a minute, I hear nothing. Relieved, I begin trying to come up with a better plan.

 **…**

Watching my moms argue isn't something new. They've been arguing since the day I first stepped foot into the house. I have vague memories from the first few years of hearing harsh words countered with sarcasm. But whenever, I stepped foot into the room, any signs of a fight were nonexistent; and whenever we all spent time together, it was so obvious how much they loved each other. And it's not like it was the first time I'd heard grown ups fighting. At least they never yelled at me.

Still, I can admit, it made me nervous. Every time people got divorced in movies or on TV, it was because they were arguing all the time. Well that and other stuff, but still.

I was seven years old when I met Aunt Amy. She and the other Bellas were in town for ma's thirtieth birthday. Ma didn't want to make a big deal about it, but Aunt Chloe convinced her otherwise. It wasn't a surprise party, because everyone agreed that surprising ma wasn't a good idea. So ma brought me along to pick up Aunt Amy at the airport.

It was an interesting ride home as I watched ma and Aunt Amy together. Aunt Amy talked mostly, telling all sorts of crazy stories with ma occasionally cutting her off when things got inappropriate for a seven year old to hear.

When we got back to the house, I showed Aunt Amy to the guest room since mom dragged ma into the kitchen to talk the moment we got back. Wanting some juice, I headed back downstairs, only to stop halfway down when I heard my moms arguing. I almost tripped turning around, but once I did, I saw Aunt Amy at the top of the stairs. She listened for a moment and then beckoned me back up.

She was sitting on the top of the stairs and I joined her. We were far enough away that we couldn't really hear what my mom were arguing about, but I still remember feeling a little worried.

Though she really wasn't looking at me, Aunt Amy must have known I was feeling anxious. Because after a moment, she inched closer and said, "Look small fry, no need to worry."

"Okay," I whispered back, afraid of my moms hearing.

"I'm serious," Aunt Amy continued. "Your moms are two stubborn bit—women. They've been arguing with each other since the day they met."

"Oh."

"It's their thing," she explained. "Neither of them is willing to back down for anyone or anything, even each other apparently."

"Parents who fight, get divorced," I replied quietly.

"Some do," Aunt Amy agreed, wrapping an arm around me. "But your moms won't. They're so crazy in love, it's kind of disgusting. But that doesn't stop them from fighting. It's just how they are. But I promise you that you have nothing to worry about. Trust your Auntie Amy about this. Okay?"

Leaning against her, I nodded.

"You'll understand more when you're older," Aunt Amy told me. "This definitely won't be the last time you come down the stairs to hear them arguing. In a few years, you'll overhear them arguing and if you just **listen** , you'll hear how much they love each other. I swear."

All I could do is nod again. I liked Aunt Amy and so I wanted to believe her. So I did my best to push aside my worries until I was old enough to understand.

I don't remember exactly how old I was when I realized that Aunt Amy was right. I just remember one day coming down the stairs and stumbling onto another argument. But this time, I listened to their tone and not their words and suddenly Aunt Amy's words made sense. For whatever reason, arguing with each other made them happy.

 **…**

Desperate times call for desperate measures. Things between my moms actually seem to be getting worse. The argument I witnessed earlier was bad; ma's never threatened to leave before. I wonder if I should be as surprised as I am.

It's not like my moms' relationship is like other parents. Once I'd figured it out, it'd seemed endearing and confusing; but as long as they seemed happy. At the moment it's frustrating as hell. Pacing in the empty rehearsal space, I decide the best thing to do is lock them in a closet together and force them to realize they're perfect for each other.

The next question is how to get them here to do it. The rehearsal space just makes sense. It's probably the easiest place to trick them into coming to. And having spent so much time here, I feel familiar enough with it to plan things out properly.

Coming up with a way to get them both here is still a bit difficult. I finally decide to seek out Aunt Lily's help again. I quickly jump to the next day and head out to the quad until I see her and chase after her.

"Come up with another plan?" she asks as I fall into step with her.

"Sort of," I reply. "I'm just not sure of a couple of things."

I explain my plan to lock them in a closet together and how I know how to get mom back to the rehearsal space. Ma is a little tougher.

"I have a few ideas," Aunt Lily says.

"Ones where ma will remain conscious the entire time?" I question.

"All right, I have one idea," she amends. "When do you want to do this?

"When do you have rehearsal today?" I ask.

"It's our day off," she answers. "It's the only day where all our schedules didn't mesh."

"Perfect," I say. "Do you remember if my moms are busy?"

She pulls out her phone and checks the time. "They should both be free in about an hour."

"Great, meet me in the rehearsal space in an hour?"

She nods. "See you later."

I spend the time figuring out exactly what I want to say to mom to get her here. I pray that the timing will work out. Because I can't imagine either of them remaining quiet after being locked in a closet.

As the time draws near, I pick the lock and open the maintenance closet in the far corner. I leave it open just enough and pray that it doesn't somehow close. I'm pretty sure mom would find it suspicious if I'm picking the lock instead of using a key.

I then choose a spot to hide. It's close enough that I should be able to keep an eye on the door, but far enough away to not really be noticed. It also has room for Aunt Lily if she wants to stay.

Aunt Lily shows up fifteen minutes later. She texts ma explain that she **has** to come to the rehearsal space ASAP. She starts to hand her phone over to me to call mom, but changes her mind and instead, seems to be reprogramming it. Once finished, she hands it to me.

"Should come up as an unknown number this way," she explains. "That way it'll seem like it's really from maintenance."

Her attention to detail is one of the reason I wanted to learn from her. It's cool that it's apparently true in the past as well.

I dial mom's number and weave my string of lies about there being a problem in the space that she should look at immediately. It takes a bit of convincing, but eventually she agrees. I hand Aunt Lily her phone back and she makes herself scarce.

Mom shows up first and I begin leading her to the maintenance closet. Just as we're in front of it, ma arrives. Hearing us, she walks towards us as I'm opening the door.

"What are you doing here?" ma asks mom.

"There's a maintenance problem," mom replies. "What are you doing here?"

"I got a text telling me to rush over," ma explains. She looks at me and I can practically see the recognition dawning on her.

"Hey! I know you—"

I shove them both in the dark closet and pull the door shut, it locking automatically.

Immediately they're banging on the door and shouting. I walk away, trying to make as much sound as possible so they realize I'm leaving and that they're alone. Hopefully this way, they won't spend all their time shouting for help.

"That went better than I expected," I say quietly as I join Aunt Lily behind stacks of chairs. "How'd you know ma would show up after mom?"

"It just makes sense," she replies.

The banging and shouting dies down after a few minutes and now it's just a matter of waiting. I hadn't really thought about how long they should stay in there. But a couple of hours seem like decent amount of time.

I settle back against the chairs with Aunt Lily. She hands me a book and opens up a text book. I look at the cover and see that it's, _A Brief History of Time_ , one of the first books she had me read. Grinning, I settle back and start reading.

A mere twenty minutes later, I see and hear something I probably should have expected: the door being taken off its hinges and being pulled into the closet, allowing my moms to exit. Mom is furious and storms out. Ma is irritated, but seems more intrigued by what she just witnessed. Her exit is more of a stroll.

Once they're gone, we both stand and walk over to the closet. Aunt Lily leans in and looks. "She took the hinges off."

I nod.

"Impressive," she says. "Shouldn't you have expected that?"

I nod again.

 **…**

Mom always says she opened The Lodge at Fallen Leaves because of her knack for barking orders and bending people's wills. But it always seemed to me that it was also because of the wilderness survival skills she learned from her dad growing up; skills she passed on to me.

Summer vacations were spent with mom, watching her order people around and forcing them to perform ridiculous physical tasks. In between, she taught me how to swim, shoot a gun, build a fire, making purified drinking water and other survival skills. I learned how to use all sort of tools and solve problems like changing a flat tire or fix a leaky faucet.

Summer vacation was my favorite time of year. Not just because of the time off from school, but because I got to spend time with mom learning stuff I'd never learn in school. Mom was a big believer in academics, but she also thought education should encompass more than just books. It's why she, reluctantly, allowed me to spend time with Aunt Lily.

The summer before I started high school, mom gave me a Swiss Army Knife, a box of waterproof matches and a compass. She then blindfolded me and drove me into the woods. Once the blindfold was removed, I was told I had to find my way back using everything mom taught me over the years.

Though I hadn't be expecting it, a test like this seemed like the perfect culmination of all the things I'd been taught over the years. Ma didn't exactly see it the same way.

I still remember the argument between my moms as I was driven around in circles, so I wouldn't know exactly where I was.

"This is such a bad idea."

"She has a compass **and** a knife. Not to mention matches."

"You don't think it's a bit dangerous?" ma asked.

"Perhaps if she didn't have the knife," mom replied. "But I've been teaching her for years. She'll be fine."

"She's fourteen!"

"I know how old she is," mom said. "Besides, my dad did the same thing to me when I was ten. And I turned out just fine."

"I'm not so sure about that."

"Says the woman who proposed to me."

"Hey, I've already admitted that I'm messed up, Bree," ma argued.

"So then there's nothing to worry about," mom said.

"You don't think it's a little crazy to leave a teenager in the middle of the woods and just **hope** she makes it back?" ma questioned.

"So you're saying that I'm a bad teacher?"

"Of course not."

"Then you're saying that Claire hasn't learned anything over the years," mom continued.

"You know I'm not," ma growls. She always worried that her attitude would have a negative effect on me.

"Then I'm confused about what the problem is."

Ma huffed in annoyance. "Sorry for being concerned about our daughter's safety."

I was still blindfolded, but it was obvious that ma was sulking at this point. She hates losing an argument. Mom hates it too, but she usually just gets more irritated. Ma pouts, though she always vehemently denies it..

"I'll be all right ma," I spoke up. "I want to do this."

"Of course you do," ma grumbled. "You're just as crazy as she is."

"I know. It's great, isn't it?" I smirked, knowing how much she adores mom.

"I hate you both," she groused.

Mom laughed softly.

The rest of the drive was spent in silence. When we finally arrived, ma refused to get out. She sullenly wished me good luck, leaned her head against the car window and closed her eyes.

Mom got out, chuckling and gave me a few last minute instructions.

"How long do you think ma will stay mad?" I asked.

"She'll be fine once you make it back," mom replied. "You know how she worries."

"I do not!" ma shouted.

Mom and I shared a laugh.

"Any other questions?"

I shook my head.

"See you soon, then," mom said, giving me a hug.

"See you soon," I echoed.

Mom then got back in the car and said something to ma. Ma ignored her, eyes still closed. Mom started the car and I watched them drive away.

I made it back in five hours; I wasn't that far away from home. Mom was very proud of me while ma grudgingly congratulated me.

 **…**

"Your moms are beyond drastic measures," Aunt Lily comments. "I think I might have to change my bet in Cynthia Rose's pool."

I look at her questioningly.

"I had after we qualify for nationals," she replies. "If Chloe doesn't make a move first."

I groan. Another worry I'd let myself forget.

"You're just going to have to try harder," Aunt Lily says.

"Locking them in a closet should have worked," I retort.

"You're thinking too small, too conventional," Aunt Lily replies walking back to the stack of chairs to grab her books. "Try thinking out of the box."

"Yeah, yeah, like I haven't heard that before," I grumble.

"Well, you obviously forgot, since you're not," Aunt Lily tells me. "Brainstorm a little longer next time. You know where to find me if you need any more help."

I watch her leave the rehearsal space before slumping to the floor. She's right, of course. I need to think of something... severely radical. My moms' marriage isn't like other people's and I need to react accordingly.

* * *

Chapter Nine: Part Three

This is the most furious Beca's ever seen Aubrey and considering how much they argue, that's saying a lot. They've both given up shouting for help, since it's obvious that it's not coming. Beca is currently leaning against a wall, watching Aubrey pace angrily back and forth, which is a bit difficult in the small space.

And then without warning, Aubrey spins to face Beca, eyes blazing. "Did you do this?"

"Did I lock us in a maintenance closet?" Beca repeats, rolling her eyes. "Why would I do that?"

"As payback for yesterday," Aubrey replies.

"Then why would I lock myself in here as well?" Beca counters.

"To throw me off or to make me feel guilty, or... I don't know," she says, throwing her hands up.

"Since I really don't want to be around you right now, that seems dumb."

Aubrey looks down as her shoulders slump. Beca knows she feels bad, but Beca's still hurt. When they'd been talking about the rules, Aubrey had been so sure that Beca would be the one to break them first. The fact that it was Aubrey would have been amusing, if she hadn't brought up Beca's dad. They haven't told each other everything yet, but they both know their dads are a sensitive subject.

"Beca," Aubrey says quietly, suddenly close. "I know I messed up badly. And an apology isn't enough for you to forgive me. Just... just promise me that you'll give me another chance. Please let me make it up to you."

The need to say whatever it takes to wipe the heartbreaking, pleading look off Aubrey's face is strong, making Beca realize how deep her feelings for Aubrey are becoming. It's a bit overwhelming. But all Aubrey is asking for is time, which Beca is willing to give. Plus, it'll give her time to sort through her feelings a bit more. So she nods. "We're not over, if that's what you're asking."

Aubrey's smile is bright and happy and quickly becoming Beca's favorite thing.

"Thank you," she says. Her arm raises, but Aubrey stops herself before she can caress Beca's cheek. Beca wants to lean into it, but holds back, worried it'll seem like forgiveness.

Aubrey nods at this as her smile wavers slightly and drops her arm. "All right. Well, now that that's settled, let's get out of here."

"How?" Beca asks. "My phone doesn't get a signal in here and I don't know how to pick a lock. I should have got Lily to teach me."

Aubrey shakes her head and steps away. She then turns towards the door and walks closer, examining it. After a moment, she spins around and begins searching the closet for something. After a moment, she stalks over to the corner on Beca's left and opens a red, metal tool box. Beca watches her dig around before pulling out a hammer and a flat head screw driver. Holding each in a hand, she walks back to the door and crouches down. Beca watches in awe as Aubrey positions the screwdriver on the bottom hinge and begins hitting it with the hammer.

It takes a few hits, each one echoing loudly in the small space, but soon Beca sees a large pin fall to the ground with a clank. Aubrey stands and repeats the process with the middle hinge. The clank of the pin is louder this time, having fallen from a larger height. The door seems loose at this point and Beca lets out a relieved sigh as Aubrey beckons her closer.

"I need you to hold the door, so it doesn't fall on me," Aubrey explains.

Beca nods and leans against it. Aubrey stretches and attacks the last hinge. Beca side steps closer to the door knob, not wanting to be hit by the falling pin. It clanks loudly on the concrete floor. Aubrey turns to Beca with satisfied grin and then sets the hammer and screw driver on the ground.

Beca takes a deep breath, trying to calm herself down, because satisfied, problem solving Aubrey is incredibly attractive— **almost** as hot as pissed off Aubrey—and it's taking every bit of restraint Beca has to not slam her against the door and forgive her.

Following Aubrey's directions, they pull the door out of the frame and then lean it against the wall.

"Call me later?" Aubrey asks.

Beca nods.

Aubrey exits first, stomping out of the closet, looking pissed as hell. Beca follows a bit slower, the urge to forgive Aubrey even stronger. Witnessing innovative Aubrey, followed by pissed off Aubrey is almost too much for her libido. She decides she needs a cold shower and some time to think.

 **…**

Turns out that the biggest obstacle to resolving things with Aubrey is trying to find the time and space to talk in private.

After two days, Aubrey goes to the music department and reserves a practice room for two hours—the max amount of time allowed—so they have a place to talk that they won't be bothered. The text Beca receives tells her they have the room from four to six p.m.

Aubrey is already there when Beca arrives. Her phone beeps, telling her to go to practice room nine. Beca knocks loudly on the door and is quietly yanked inside.

It's not a particularly big space, it can't be more than five feet by five feet. It's obvious that Aubrey has done some rearranging. There are two chairs facing each other and the three music stands are as compact as possible in the corner.

"Hi," Aubrey says once Beca's done looking around the small space.

"Hey."

It's been a while since they've had tension between them. And after the weeks of dating, the tension is even more uncomfortable.

"I really am sorry," Aubrey starts. "I just... the argument got away from me."

Beca can understand that. "Apology accepted," she replies. She knows she could make Aubrey really work for her forgiveness, especially after being told she'd be the one to screw up first, but she just can't. She knows how stressed out Aubrey is; and though she hopes she helps her relax sometimes, the fact that they are keeping their relationship a secret, also means she has to add to it. And though she truly enjoys fighting with Aubrey, she doesn't like stressing her out more.

Aubrey grins in relief.

"But we do need to talk about it?" Beca asks.

"Talk about what?"

"Whatever it was that was bothering you," Beca clarifies.

"I told you, the argument just got away from me," Aubrey replies.

"Aubrey, you can tell me."

"I promise to be more conscientious," Aubrey continues as if Beca hadn't spoken. "Keeping this a secret is tougher than I was expecting."

"For me too," Beca tells her.

"And I just..." She sighs. "Maybe I over reacted."

"What happened?"

"I got scared, paranoid, I don't know," Aubrey tries. "Chloe congratulated me on not fighting with you during rehearsal the other day."

"Oh."

"And I got scared, obviously," Aubrey finishes.

"You're worried that she knows?" Beca asks.

Aubrey nods. "Or at least suspects."

"Would that be so bad?" Beca questions. "I mean, it's Chloe."

"I'm not the only one who was worried about her finding out," Aubrey points out.

"Yeah, but..."

"The reasons for not telling her are the same," Aubrey adds.

"I know. I just worry about how hurt she's going to be that we didn't tell her sooner," Beca replies. "Especially at you."

"I know. But it really hasn't been that long," Aubrey says. "It's only been a couple weeks since we started... this."

"Two weeks is hardly anything," Beca agrees. "But maybe Chloe is the exception?"

"Not yet," Aubrey says. "We'll definitely tell her first. But it's still a little too soon."

"If you're sure..."

"I am," Aubrey nods. "Eventually. Maybe. Just not yet."

"So are we going to talk about—"

"It really did just slip out," Aubrey interjects.

"I know," Beca says. "I just wanted to say that I don't think you have to worry. I doubt anyone realizes anything's going on between us."

"Oh. I guess that's a relief."

"Maybe next time just give me a heads up," Beca requests. "A text or something."

"I can do that."

"So now that we've figured that out, what can we do for the remaining ninety minutes?" Beca asks.

"We are not making out in a practice room," Aubrey tells her.

"Why not?" Beca questions, stepping closer to Aubrey. "It's a perfect opportunity. We should take full advantage of it."

"Because there are people who actually need this space to practice," Aubrey replies.

"And they can use one of the other four rooms that were open when I walked by," Beca says. "And we definitely need more practice too." She has Aubrey pressed against the far wall, though they're not touching. It's up to Aubrey to pull Beca towards her. It's obvious that Aubrey wants to, but is fighting the urge. Beca starts counting in her head, trying to guess how long it'll be before Aubrey gives in.

Beca makes it to one hundred and thirty-seven—her guess had been two hundred—before Aubrey's grabbing her and pulling her in for a kiss.

 **…**

For once, Beca is actually studying in the quad. She has a test on _Middlemarch_ in two days and her English professor dad would not be pleased with her failing it.

Lily's arrival is quiet except for the clanking from the bag she's carrying. Lily takes the book from Beca's hands, marks her place and closes it. Knowing she has Beca's attention, she pulls a pad lock out of the bag with her left hand and with her right, holds up a hair pin and an unbent paperclip . Beca watches her pick open the lock.

Lily says something, pointing to the bag and Beca assumes it's to pick out another pad lock. Beca does so and is handed a hair pin and bent paperclip of her own. Beca listens closely as Lily explains how to pick the lock. Lily has to repeat herself several times and after each failure, Beca begins to question if it's something she can actually hear. And then after her tenth attempt, there's a click and the lock pops open. Lily's "not bad" is almost kind of audible.

"Thanks," Beca says.

Lily hands her another lock and this time it only takes four attempts. The next one she is handed actually opens on the first try, as does the next one. She's able to unlock the remaining ten locks with almost no problems.

Lily returns the locks to the bag and sets it next to Beca. "For you to keep practicing," she says. She then hands Beca _Middlemarch_ back. And then from seemingly out of nowhere she pulls out an Advanced Chemistry textbook and begins studying.

Beca glances between Lily and the bag of locks a couple times. She feels like she should say something, but nothing comes to mind. "Thanks," she says to Lily and then returns to her book.


	10. Chapter 10

I decide that maybe the reason I'm failing is because I'm going forward. Perhaps jumping backwards would work better. I decide to jump back a week before regionals.

I arrive in the shadows and glance around. I don't think anyone saw me arrive, so I start walking, knowing that I'll soon recognize something. It only takes me a few minutes to realize I'm just around the corner from the quad. A few moments later I'm nearby ma's favorite spot and watching her interact with the Treble.

I find a spot nearby and sit. I need to come up with another plan, but all I can focus on is the Treble flirting with ma. The longer I watch, the angrier I get. Every moment she spends with him, is one less moment she could be falling in love with mom.

About fifteen minutes later, ma closes her laptop and gathers up her things. I assume she has a class to get to because she stands and leaves the Treble there. I growl under my breath as he stares at her ass as she walks away. He stays for another five minutes, fiddling with his phone and then stands.

Without realizing it, I'm standing as well. I decide to follow him. I take large steps to catch up with him, still not sure why I'm following him. I just know that I want him to stop flirting with ma because she isn't supposed to end up with him and he's just making things more complicated.

He stops abruptly and because I'm still seething, I don't realize it until I literally bump into him. I apologize, telling I wasn't watching where I was going. He offers a charming grin and I fight the urge to slap him as he obviously checks me out. It seems like he wants to talk, but I state that I'm running late. And then, before he can say anything else, I quickly step away, heading in the opposite direction.

He shouts an awkward "see you around" after me, which just makes me even more pleased with the fact that I just took his wallet.

It actually hadn't been my intent. It had just sort of happened when I'd bumped into him. It's something that Aunt Lily taught me that I never really used. I was too afraid of getting caught, despite Aunt Lily proclaiming me excellent. But now, in the past, it had just been instinctual.

I stop when the Treble's out of sight and open it up. There's a few bucks inside, which I pocket, even if I have no need for money from this time period. Well, maybe I can start paying Aunt Lily back the next time I see her. Though tempted to go through it, I really don't want to know more about him, so I slip it into my pocket and think about what to do with it.

An idea hits me suddenly and I glance around. No one's looking at me, so I quickly, but carefully, punch in the day's information into the watch. I push the button and jump.

 **…**

I arrive in the exact same place, though it's earlier in the day. I head back towards the quad, hoping that ma's not under her usual tree. Because I'm not really sure what day of the week it is, I can only guess about her class schedule.

Thankfully, there's no one around when I approach the tree. Before I can give it too much thought, I jog the last five steps towards the tree and leap onto it, climbing it and only feeling mildly awkward. I do it as quickly as I can, not wanting to be seen. It takes less time than expected for me to find a place to rest that keeps me hidden.

Now it's just a matter of waiting for ma to show up.

 **…**

I sit in the tree for at least an hour before ma shows up. Time passes slowly. People watching helps a bit, but the minutes still drag on.

When ma does finally appear, she settles down against the tree with a book and no headphones. She doesn't open the book immediately and so I see it as my chance. I'm hidden enough by the leaves and branches, so I let the wallet drop into her lap.

She lets out a squeak of surprise and looks around and then up at the tree. She stares up at me, though I can tell by her gaze that she doesn't actually see me. She finally opens it open and recognizes the driver's license picture. She looks around again and then back up at me. Still seeing nothing, she slips the wallet in her bag and opens her book.

I know it's a long shot, but I'm hoping that maybe ma will get caught with the Treble's wallet and get in trouble. It's obvious that she's in no hurry to return it. Maybe if she gets in trouble, it'll be like when she was arrested at regionals and it'll lead to her and mom kissing. It's a long shot, I know, but her and mom are so damn stubborn, that I'm honestly running out of ideas.

Now it's just a matter of waiting, except with the watch, I don't have to. So I punch in my next destination and hit the button.

* * *

Chapter Ten: Part Two

Jesse's starting to worry. He hasn't been able to find his wallet for two days. He's gone through his whole room twice, even Benji's magic stuff. He checked the radio station and even put up with Luke giving him shit for losing it. He still has to ask Beca if he might have left it in her room, but Aubrey's been making them rehearse constantly for regionals.

He could probably try to wait for her outside where they rehearse, but he doesn't want to be accused of spying.

He heads towards the quad, hoping to maybe catch her working on a mix or pretending to study. The Bellas can't rehearse all the time, right?

Beca's usual spot is empty, but he settles there anyway, figuring she'll be around eventually.

About thirty minutes later, he sees her sAuntering through the quad towards him.

"Hey," she says, sitting next to him. "I've been looking for you."

"Oh yeah?" he replies, trying to remain chill. Maybe she's finally realized how perfect they are for each other.

She's digging in her bag and he waits eagerly, expecting a mix of love songs. Instead, she hands him his wallet, which is also good.

"Found this the other day."

Though disappointed, he's also relieved. "Did I leave it in your room?"

"No."

"The radio station?"

She shakes her head.

"Then where?" The expression on her face is odd.

"Um, it just kind of, appeared?"

What? "Like out of thin air? Like magic?" Was she implying that Benji had it?

"Sort of."

"Beca, c'mon, where did you find it?"

"It really kind of did," Beca replies. "I was sitting here under the tree and it sort of just fell into my lap."

It's so absurd that Jesse actually laughs. She is so obviously making it up. The question is why. "You really don't expect me to believe that, do you?"

"I really don't care what you believe," she retorts.

"If you want to hang out with me, you just have to say so," he tells her. "You don't need to make up a crazy story."

"It's not a story," she insists.

"Uh huh," he smirks.

She rolls her eyes at him and stands. "Whatever dude. Believe whatever you want. I don't care."

"Where are you going?"

"Bellas' rehearsal." She slips her bag onto her shoulder and stomps away.

It's an abrupt shift of emotions, but Jesse knows it totally means that she's into him. She's just not ready to admit it yet. That's okay. He can wait.


	11. Chapter 11

I arrive in the quad, but thankfully, not still in the tree. If I ever make it back, I'll have to ask Aunt Lily how the watch decides where you're going to end up. Because it's not necessarily where I left from before.

Looking around, I have a feeling that I jumped more than the three days I planned to jump. I glance at the watch and wish it had a display I could scroll back through and see where I am and where I've been. Another thing I need to talk to Aunt Lily about if I make it back.

I find a place to sit, hoping for either a sign of what day it is or that my moms are spending their leisure time together. I eventually spot ma walking by herself. It looks like she just got out of class and on her way somewhere. She's soon joined by Aunt Chloe, who hooks their arms together, laughing at ma's—obviously feigned—annoyance at the gesture.

This is something I've seen dozens of times, but this time it worries me. Does ma's easy acceptance mean that the two of them are together now? And if so, when exactly did I jump to?

"Déjà vu," Aunt Lily says, sitting next to me.

"Does that really apply when there's time travel involved?" I ask, briefly glancing at her before returning my gaze to ma and Aunt Chloe.

"Still not successful, I see," Aunt Lily comments, her eyes following my line of sight.

"I'd ask the date," I reply. "But I'm not sure it would help orientate me."

"It's been thirty-two days since regionals," she informs me. "Does that help?"

This is shocking enough to pull my eyes away. I stare at Aunt Lily in shock. "You can't be serious."

"Dixie Chicks serious," Aunt Lily grins.

Huh? "What?"

"When were you aiming for?" she wonders.

"A couple days before regionals," I reply.

"Bit of an overshot," she says.

"It's not my fault," I protest. "It's the watch's."

"It's always the user, never the equipment," she replies.

"Except this time it's not," I retort. "You need a better display screen on this thing."

"Well, maybe if you hadn't used it before it was done, then it would have one," Aunt Lily replies.

I hate that she has a point, so all I say is," Well it's tough to program when up a tree."

"Like you were literally in a tree?"

I nod.

"Fair enough."

We sit quietly, people watching for a few minutes.

"Have you tried recreating the situation?" she asks eventually.

"Sort of. But I don't think I was... it obviously didn't work," I tell her.

"So you need to do something else, maybe something bigger?" she suggests.

"Yeah..."

"Stop thinking so small," Aunt Lily commands. "There's a reason I wanted you to work with me. Prove it."

I nod absently, as various scenarios play through my mind.

"I've got to get to rehearsal," she says, standing. "But I'm sure I'll see you later."

"Did you say you were going to rehearsal?" I question.

She nods.

"Then, in theory, ma's room should be empty?" I ask.

"I guess, though I don't know her roommate's schedule," Aunt Lily replies. "Just because we're both Asian—"

I jump up. "I wasn't implying that you—"

She smirks at me and I roll my eyes; apparently teasing me is something that just comes naturally to her, no matter when. But thankfully all she says is, "Good luck, kiddo"

I do feel a little bit better now that I have a plan. I slowly make my way to ma's room, wanting to ensure that there's no way I'll run into her. Hopefully, I'll find what I need quickly before ma's roommate returns.

And then I can jump ahead several hours to two a.m. That seems like a good time to get ma into big trouble.


	12. Chapter 12

Aubrey heads over to Beca's room in high spirits. The past month has been a mix of tense secret keeping and unexpected delight; getting to know the real Beca has been better than Aubrey expected. But there's also how comfortable Aubrey is with Beca; opening up feels more natural than she ever thought it would. It makes all the sneaking around worth it.

Their biggest problem—besides the guilt they both feel about not telling Chloe—is finding places where they can be alone together. They've spent time at the radio station after everyone's gone, even if it's a bit risky. Unfortunately, they haven't had time for another afternoon at the gun range. Between Bellas rehearsal, studying and keeping it a secret, the timing just hasn't worked out.

And that's why Aubrey is excited for tonight. Beca's roommate won't be back until tomorrow afternoon, which means they finally have the privacy for a proper date.

Chloe thinks Aubrey will be spending the night at the library putting the finishing touches on her Economic Development paper that's due in two days. Chloe doesn't have to know that Aubrey finished that paper yesterday; Aubrey tries not to feel too guilty about the lie.

The first twenty minutes of the date consist of Beca kissing Aubrey senseless. Or more specifically, Aubrey, once again, finds herself pushed against the door, Beca pressed against her, kissing her with eager fierceness. It's a familiar feeling; Aubrey's found herself slammed against a number of things and kissed senseless numerous times over the last month. Aubrey's never been with someone who made her feel so wanted; Beca kisses Aubrey like she's the only thing Beca needs to survive. Though it's not just that; it's the way Beca looks at her, as if she being with Aubrey makes her the luckiest person on earth. Aubrey can admit that the intensity of it is addicting. She'd feel guilty about how much she loves it, if she didn't feel something similar for Beca. Aubrey's always known that she needs someone who challenges her, pushes her, but also sees past the intense focus and recognizes when Aubrey wants to stop, but can't. And Beca does; she sees the intensity, **wants** the intensity, but is one of the few people that can help her turn it off.

The only reason they stop kissing is because Beca's phone rings. She pulls away with a groan and stumbles over to answer it. Aubrey watches her, dazed, eyes focused on the movement of Beca's mouth as she answers her cell.

"Food's here," Beca announces, dropping her cell on her bed. "I'll be right back." And she's pushing Aubrey out of the way and out the door before Aubrey can even think to offer her any cash.

Beca returns with a bag of Chinese food and refuses any money. They sit on floor eating out of the white cartons and teasing each other about their lack of skill using chopsticks.

They're cleaning up when Aubrey notices the bottle of wine sitting under Beca's desk. She picks it up, curious, because Beca has stated a number of times that she's not a fan of wine.

Everything Aubrey knows about wine, she learned from her father—because it was expected of her—and so it takes her a moment to register how expensive the wine in her hand is.

"I thought we could drink that tonight," Beca says.

"Where'd you get this?" Aubrey can't help but ask, as she picks it up.

"Why? Did I pick a crappy one?"

Aubrey shakes her head as she continues to stare at the bottle; Beca's lack of an answer means something. "Just the opposite, in fact."

"Does it need time to breathe?" Beca asks, surprising Aubrey. "I know almost nothing about wine."

"Well you apparently know enough," Aubrey says, examining the bottle. "Seriously, Beca, where did you get this?"

"Does it matter?"

"Considering this is a hundred dollar bottle of wine, it kind of does," Aubrey replies, setting it on the desk.

"Huh. Seriously?"

"Beca."

"I may have **borrowed** it from my dad," Beca admits.

"Borrowed it?"

"He had like four others," Beca protests, not really answering the question. "He probably won't miss it."

Aubrey sighs because there are still some things Beca won't explain if she doesn't want to, no matter how much pushing Aubrey does.

They finish cleaning up and end up sitting side by side on Beca's bed, not quite touching. The uneasy tension in the room is something that hasn't existed between them for a while and it feels odd.

"I may have taken it from his office," Beca offers after a few minutes.

"And no one stopped you?" Aubrey asks, scooting closer and taking Beca's right hand in her left.

Beca sighs. "Lily has been teaching me how to pick locks."

Aubrey fights the urge to chastise and just nods.

"And I thought it'd be cool to test out my skills or whatever," Beca continues, eyes firmly on their hands. "So I broke into my dad's office the other night. And then once I was in there, I started snooping. There was a cabinet with wine and scotch and vodka. He **had** plenty."

Aubrey's not sure what to say. She understands why Beca did it; at least she thinks she does. And she has no right to lecture Beca about her relationship with her dad—no matter how much she wants to. Even though her relationship with her own father was far from easy, Aubrey still wishes she could have more time with him. But all she asks is, "Why?"

"Why did I take it?" Beca questions. "I don't know. It seemed like a good idea at the time. It's certainly what he expects from me."

"And you could change that perception if you just talked to him, **really** talked to him," Aubrey argues. "Being here at Barden could be a real chance for you to fix your relationship with him."

"Except I'm still not sure I want to," Beca replies.

"I don't think that's true," Aubrey says. "Otherwise you wouldn't be here."

"I didn't have a choice," Beca protests.

"And that is **definitely** not true," Aubrey tells her. "You could have gone to LA instead of coming here."

Beca doesn't reply, now drawing patterns on Aubrey's outstretched palm.

"I'm glad you didn't, obviously," Aubrey adds. "But there must have been some reason you decided to come here instead."

Beca still doesn't reply.

"It's okay if it's because you missed your dad, you know," Aubrey tells her.

She shakes her head. "He made his choice," Beca replies. "He left me."

"And I'm sure it was one of the most difficult things he ever did," Aubrey says.

"You don't know that," Beca points out.

"Obviously not," Aubrey agrees. "But he's trying now. That has to mean something."

"I guess," Beca allows.

"I just don't think he would have extended the invitation, if he wasn't trying to reconnect with you," Aubrey says.

"It's just so hard to let go of that anger," Beca tells her. "It's been with me for so long. And I've survived without him for years now. So now that **he's** ready to be involved in my life, I should let him in?"

"Of course not," Aubrey replies. "It's never that simple. But maybe be open to the possibility, maybe don't shut him out completely."

"Maybe," Beca agrees. "It's just that I was finally, I don't know, okay with it, you know? And now he's trying to be my dad again. After all these years, does he really expect me to just accept that?"

"I don't know," Aubrey answers. "But maybe you could talk to him about it? If he understands, then maybe he will take a step back, give you the space you need."

"I'll think about it," Beca says. "If you'll do something for me."

Why does Aubrey feel like she walked into a trap?

"We both know that your dad's plan for you isn't what you want," Beca starts.

"I'm honoring his memory," Aubrey insists.

"There are other ways to do that," Beca points out. "Plus, who's to say he wouldn't have changed his mind about things."

"Christopher Posen was not a man who would admit to being wrong," Aubrey says.

"Not surprising," Beca smirks. "Your stubbornness had to come from somewhere."

Aubrey rolls her eyes.

"I just want you to be happy," Beca tells her. "You deserve it."

"You're sweet," Aubrey interjects.

"Stop it," Beca retorts. "I'm just saying you need to do what makes you happy. And I get wanting to make your dad proud. But ultimately, it comes down to what you want. And who knows, maybe you pushing back, demanding he respect your choices, would have garnered his admiration."

"Maybe."

"You said it yourself, he respected strong willed, tenacious people," Beca says. "That describes you to a T. And you doing what you want, what makes you happy with your life, standing up for yourself, I don't know, I just think he would have really respected that."

"But I am—was, his daughter," Aubrey argues. "That's different."

"That's more important," Beca corrects. "Look, I know I'm the last person who should be giving advice on fathers, but I do know the only way to be happy is to be the person you want to be, no one else."

"You say that like it's so simple," Aubrey says.

"Isn't it?" Beca sighs and takes Aubrey's hand in hers. "Look, Bree, you know I think you're amazing, right?"

Aubrey nods.

"And over the last month as we've gotten to know each other, that's never wavered," Beca continues. "If anything, I find you even more incredible than before. Hanging out with you, one on one, the fact that you've let me see this side of you, I feel privileged."

"Beca..."

"So I hope that you'll believe me when I say, it's definitely not simple. Especially when it goes against everything you've believed for years. But I believe in you," Beca tells her. "I just... look, if you really want to work as a financier, or whatever—"

"In corporate finance," Aubrey corrects.

"In corporate finance," Beca repeats. "Then you should definitely should. As long as it's what **you** want."

"I'll think about it," Aubrey sighs.

"Thank you."

"As long as you talk to your dad, **really** talk," Aubrey adds.

"I already said I would," Beca replies.

"Just checking," Aubrey says.

Beca scoffs and leans her head against Aubrey's shoulder. "So we're not drinking the wine, are we?"

"No, we're not," Aubrey tells her. "Besides you don't even like wine."

"Maybe it's because I've been drinking the wrong kind," Beca retorts.

Aubrey probably shouldn't find that so endearing. "I have an even better idea," she says, turning slightly and pulling Beca's face to hers for a kiss.

For once they don't have to worry about being gone too long, being someplace odd, or getting caught. Instead, they have all the time in the world; and Aubrey wants to savor that. She kisses Beca slowly, softly, enjoying the delicate way Beca kisses back and how she just melts into Aubrey, pressing into her. She strokes Aubrey's cheek so lovingly, as if Aubrey's a precious gift she doesn't deserve.

Their kisses become longer, more intense. Aubrey's skin is hot as Beca's hands skim across her back and down her sides. When Beca pulls away to tug off Aubrey's shirt, she helps her, wondering when exactly they went from sitting side by side, to Aubrey laying on Beca, stretched out on the bed. But then Beca is shirtless as well and Aubrey is focused on cupping her breasts, thumbs brushing over the hardening nipples.

Beca's eyes have closed, her breathing heavy and Aubrey needs to feel her skin against Beca's. Her hands glide upward and cup Beca's checks, pulling her closer and kissing her. Beca's hands have been gripping Aubrey's hips, but as they lay back down, her hands are moving again, seemingly eager to explore every inch she can.

Aubrey sits up again, causing Beca to whimper in protest; which gets even louder when she stands. But it quickly becomes an approving gasp as Aubrey kicks off her pants. Aubrey giggles as Beca half sits up and tries to shimmy out of her jeans. She struggles, but eventually removes them and tosses them aside.

"You're sure about this?" Aubrey asks.

"Are you?" Beca counters.

"I'm the one that stripped first," Aubrey answers, joining Beca back on the bed.

"And the most beautiful woman I've ever seen wants to have sex with me," Beca replies. "A woman, I adore. I plan to enjoy every moment of it."

Aubrey rolls her eyes as she settles next to Beca. "You're ridiculous."

"Have you seen you?" Beca retorts. "I count myself lucky every day you're willing to date me."

"I could say the same about you," Aubrey replies.

"Now who's being ridiculous?" Beca asks.

"Stop talking and kiss me."

* * *

Chapter Twelve: Part Two

It's definitely night time when I arrive. The campus is dark and quiet as I head towards a maintenance shack that I hope exists in the past. It does and is almost too easy to get into. Apparently, students sneaking in isn't an issue at this point in time. After my eyes adjust to the darkness, I begin to search for a hose. Once I find one, I'm slipping out again and heading to the administration building. I pick the lock with ease and I send a silent thank you to Aunt Lily again for teaching me.

I skulk down the hallway with the coil of hose thrown over my shoulder. I find the Dean's office after a couple of wrong turns, the office isn't in the same place as it is in my time. I pick the lock and slip inside.

My eyes have adjusted to the darkness at this point, so I head to the window and begin uncoiling the hose. Next I open the window just enough to slide the hose out and let it snake downwards towards the ground. Once most of it is out the window, I bring the frame down so it's holding the nozzle in place. I triple check that it's tight, because the last thing I need is the hose falling to the ground; though I probably don't have to worry too much since it's on the ground floor.

Next I pull a flash drive out of my pocket. The "B Mitchell" I wrote in permanent marker in bold letters has long since dried and will hopefully not disappear when immersed in water. I let it drop to the ground, near the window.

The final step is pulling the expensive looking rug that's laying on the wooden floor to the door. I pull the door open enough so the rug can be lined up with the door frame. It will most likely take real effort for the door to close.

Before I leave, I glance around, making sure there isn't any other evidence. The scene looks good and I quietly exit, pulling hard on the door. It takes several yanks for the door to really close, but I feel confident that the room will definitely stay flooded.

Outside, I count my blessings as I find a spigot well within range of the hose I used. I connect it and turn the water on. The hiss of water is loud in the quiet night air and I pray that no one is walking nearby.

Now comes a bit of a challenge. I don't want to completely flood the office. I want just enough water to get ma in trouble. And even with all the knowledge and training from Aunt Lily, how long to let the water run is still a guessing game. Plus, I'm still not one hundred percent sure the rug will truly keep the water in.

I check the time traveling watch and note the time. And then I begin to guesstimate how long I need to keep the water running. I guess the office was fifteen by fifteen and figure I only need two to three inches of water to make my point. It takes me a while to convert the cubic feet to gallons. After that it's a guessing game about the amount of water pressure, though I am pretty sure that it's only a twenty-five foot hose that I grabbed. I blame the lack of sleep on the amount of effort it takes to keep all the numbers straight in my head. Or maybe it's pure luck, because by the time I figure that I wait about twenty minutes, it's been over ten.

I try not to pace as I wait the full twenty minutes. I need to be able to hear if anyone's approaching. Or at the very least, I need to make sure I don't do anything to draw attention to what I've done too soon.

The moment the watch tells me it's been twenty minutes, I shut off the hose. Now it's just a matter of time before ma gets in trouble. I very carefully program the watch and press the button.

* * *

Chapter Twelve: Part Three

Knocking on her door wakes Beca up. She considers ignoring it; she's curled around an equally naked Aubrey and getting out of bed was so not on the agenda for this morning.

Except that the knocking doesn't stop; if anything, it becomes more insistent.

"Who is that?" Aubrey murmurs, eyes still valiantly closed.

"Beca, open up!"

Beca's response is to groan and try to rebury her head in the warmth of her bed.

"You better answer it," Aubrey says. "I don't think it's going to stop."

"Are you sure?" Beca questions. "Ignoring him definitely feels like the way to go."

Aubrey flings the blanket off them both and sits up.

Beca growls as she sits up as well and they both begin to pull on their clothes. The knocking continues the entire time.

Once they're both reasonably presentable, Beca flings the door open. "How numb is your hand right now?"

Her dad pushes past her and steps into the room. He pauses mid stride when he notices Aubrey.

"Um, hello."

"This is Aubrey, dad," Beca introduces, as she walks past him and joins her. "Aubrey, this is my dad, Dr. Mitchell."

"Nice to meet you, sir," Aubrey says, offering her hand.

"You too," he replies, shaking her hand. "I apologize for the intrusion."

"Yeah, about that," Beca says. "Why the hell are you waking me up at... seven in the morning?"

"You know damn well why, young lady," he snaps.

"Seriously?" Beca scoffs, crossing her arms and glaring at her dad.

"So you're really going to stand there and pretend that you're innocent?" he asks. "That you have no idea why I'm here so early, livid."

"Yeah, I am," Beca replies. "Because I don't know. Besides, we both know that if I've truly pissed you off, I'd want to savor every moment of it."

He sighs loudly. " **Fine**. I'm here because last night **someone** broke into the Dean's office and flooded it."

"And naturally, I'm the only suspect," Beca retorts.

"The Dean claims he has evidence," her dad tells her.

"Well, I have an alibi, so I'm not sure what to tell you," Beca replies.

"Who? Aubrey?" He turns to her. "No offense, young lady, but the word of a friend is hardly enough to count as an ali—"

"Aubrey is not just a friend, dad," Beca interrupts. "She's my girlfriend and we were having sex last night, so I can assure you, I did not flood the Dean's office."

Beca's not sure at what point Aubrey grabbed her hand, but she's grateful for it at the moment as she receives a squeeze of support.

"Your, uh, girlfriend?"

Oh yeah, she's not exactly out to her dad yet. Is it wrong that she's enjoying his sputtering? She doubts that he has an issue with the fact that Beca has a girlfriend. She has a feeling it has more to do with how the news was delivered.

"That's right, my girlfriend," Beca repeats.

"Well all right then," he says finally. "I'm relieved to know that you didn't do it."

"Why would I?" Beca questions.

"To get back at me?" he offers.

"Then I would have broken into your office," Beca tells him.

"I suppose that's true," her dad replies.

"Besides, I would never come up with something so elaborate as flooding the Dean's office," Beca continues.

"She's not really a planner," Aubrey adds.

" **Hey**."

Aubrey squeezes her hand again and turns to her dad. "What exactly is this evidence the Dean supposedly has?"

"I'm not sure," he replies. "I suppose we'll find out when we meet with him at eight."

"Seriously?" Beca groans. "Can't you just tell him I didn't do it?"

"That's not how these things work," Aubrey says.

"She's right," her dad agrees. "Because there's evidence, there has to be a formal inquiry."

"There's a formal inquiry at eight?"

"I was able to talk him into a more informal inquiry between the three of us," her dad replies.

"That's impressive," Aubrey says.

"He was very understanding about the situation."

"Meaning that you played if off as your ungrateful daughter lashing out," Beca accuses. "Boy, that one never gets old."

"Actually, I told him I you were innocent until proven guilty and that a formal hearing wasn't necessary," he replies.

Beca feels like he's contradicting himself. "Whatever," she scoffs, turning away.

"Beca," Aubrey says, stopping her.

Beca huffs, but faces her dad and gestures for him to finish.

"He wouldn't let it go," her dad continues. "The informal hearing was the best I could do, even if expulsion is still on the table."

"Expulsion?" Beca groans.

"You're not getting expelled," her dad says. "Especially if you didn't do it."

"Then why did you barge in here making accusations?"

"Because I didn't think you'd tell me otherwise," he explains.

Beca sighs. "Fine."

"You should probably change," Aubrey tells Beca.

Her dad nods. "It couldn't hurt."

Beca sighs. " **Fine**."

"I'll wait outside for you," her dad says.

The moment her dad is out the door, Aubrey orders Beca to get undressed as she digs through her closet.

"This is so not how I imagined you ordering me to strip," Beca grouses.

"Yeah, well, if you get kicked out of school, I won't be asking you to do it again," Aubrey replies, throwing a skirt onto the bed.

"You'd break up with me if I got kicked out of school?" Beca questions as she pulls off her shirt.

"A Posen would never date a criminal," Aubrey teases. "It wouldn't be seemly."

"Well, then I guess it's good that I didn't do it," Beca retorts, stepping into the skirt.

"I can come with you if you want," Aubrey says, now folding Beca's discarded clothing.

"It's probably better that you didn't," Beca replies looking for shoes.

"Because then people might suspect something?"

"That," Beca agrees. "And the fact that I'd like to keep you out of this. Can't have you being associated with a troublemaker such as myself."

"Awww."

"Oh shut up."

"You look lovely," Aubrey says. "Though you're very mean."

"I'm glad you think so," Beca replies. "That means you'll stop calling me sweet. Right?"

"I will when you stop acting that way," Aubrey tells her.

"I am not sweet," Beca insists. She grabs Aubrey's hand and tugs her closer. "I'm sorry the morning turned out this way. I had such plans." She wraps her arms around Aubrey's waist and kisses her.

"I'm sure you did," Aubrey scoffs.

"Don't act like you wouldn't have enjoyed it," Beca says, walking towards the door.

"That's besides the point," Aubrey replies, following behind her.

"You ready to go?" her dad asks once they step into the hallway.

Beca nods, and they follow him outside.

"Call me when you're done?" Aubrey asks.

Beca nods "Course."

"It was nice to meet you, Aubrey," her dad says. "Hopefully we'll have a chance to talk again, under better circumstances."

"I hope so too, sir."

Her dad looks surprised when she and Aubrey part so chastely, but he doesn't ask; for which Beca is grateful. She's so not in the mood to try and explain it. In fact, the walk to the Dean's office is done without speaking. Beca hopes that means he has a game plan for this informal inquiry, because she has no idea how to convince the Dean that she didn't flood his office. She supposes it will depend on the evidence he claims to have.

She spends the walk trying to figure out who could have flooded the Dean's office and if they intentionally set her up or the Dean just made assumptions. Though there's really no reason why he would just assume it was Beca; a set up seems more likely. So the next question becomes who would want to set her up.

When they arrive, the door is open, but her dad still knocks on the door frame. They're beckoned inside and ordered to close the door behind them. She and her dad sit in expensive looking leather chairs and Beca actually feels a bit nervous. The Dean looks super pissed and she doubts that he's going to believe that she's innocent.

He glares at her, his expression hard and judging.

She sits next to her dad, hoping he'll take her side. Despite what he said earlier, she has her doubts; it's allowed. Though Aubrey's request from the night before is also loudly repeating in her brain.

"Anything you'd like to share, Ms. Mitchell?" he asks finally.

"I didn't flood your office, sir," Beca replies.

"Oh you didn't?" he sneers.

"No, sir."

"Your father took a similar position," the Dean says. "But with the evidence I found, I just find it difficult to believe."

"May I ask about this supposed evidence, sir?" Beca asks.

"This," he says, tossing something Beca's way.

She hastily catches the item, which turns out to be a flash drive. A flash drive, Beca realizes as she examines it, that has her name on it.

"This isn't mine, sir," Beca tells him.

"Your name's on it."

"It is," Beca agrees. "But it's not mine. Not only do I not label my flash drives. This isn't even my handwriting." She passes it to her dad, hoping he'll back her up.

He accepts it and examines it as well. "She's right, Charles," he says. "This definitely isn't her handwriting."

"So what? Someone else flooded my office and planted evidence? For what purpose?"

"I wish I knew," Beca replies.

"How do I know that you didn't just have someone else write your name on this?" he asks.

"Even if I did—which I didn't—why would I bring it with and leave it in your office?" Beca questions. "What purpose would that serve?"

This makes him return to glaring at her.

"Someone's obviously trying to set me up," Beca says.

"And again I say, why? For what purpose?" he asks.

"And again I say, I wish I knew," Beca snarks.

Next to her, her dad sighs. "Beca," he warns. "Charles, I really don't think she did this. She really has no reason to."

"I find that students don't always need a reason," the Dean replies.

"I've found that as well," her dad agrees. "However, I really don't think she did it. Stunts like this aren't exactly her thing."

The Dean sighs and examines Beca. She tries not to squirm as he studies her; nervousness will surely be taken as a sign of guilt.

"Unfortunately," he says after a long moment. "I'm inclined to believe your story."

Unfortunately? Inclined? How dare he—

"Which we appreciate, Charles," her dad speaks up, before she can. He obviously noticed how defensive she's feeling. "Don't we Beca?"

"Yes, sir," Beca grumbles, not meeting his eyes. Her dad kicks her chair. She looks up with a sigh. "I appreciate the opportunity to defend myself." Another kick to her chair. "And that you trust me when I say it wasn't me."

"However, the fact that your mere presence on this campus seems to invite these kinds of misconduct is quite troublesome for me," he continues.

Beca is barely able to stop herself from rolling her eyes. "It is for me as well, sir."

"Yes, well, I shall consider the matter closed then," he says, standing. "But one step out of line..."

Beca and her dad stand as well. "I understand," Beca sighs.

"Then we're done here."

"Thank you Charles," her dad says as he shakes the Dean's hand.

Beca does so as well, knowing it's expected.

They leave his office quietly, Beca rolling her eyes as they step into the hallway. She just can't help herself.

"Thanks dad," Beca says as they exit the building.

"You're welcome."

Aubrey words from last night are still echoing in her head, so Beca asks, "Do you, uh, have time for breakfast?"

"Absolutely," he grins.

"Cool," Beca says. "Do you mind if I change first?"

He laughs. "Of course not."

They cross the campus without speaking again, but this time it feels less awkward. When they reach her dorm, Beca tells her dad she'll just be a minute and rushes inside. It only takes a moment to pull on jeans and a t-shirt, so she shoots a quick text to Aubrey telling her that she's off the hook and that she's grabbing a bite with her dad. It's only a short walk to his car. As they're buckling themselves in, her dad suggests a nearby diner he frequents. Beca nods, wanting waffles.

It's a quick, quiet drive with NPR playing softly in the background. They seat themselves and peruse the menus, choosing their food before the waitress appears—thankfully—with a coffee pot and two coffee cups.

Once the waitress takes their orders, Beca gratefully sips her coffee. Her dad watches her as he sips her own, but doesn't say anything. For once he seems to be letting her take the lead and Beca is grateful.

"Glad you had time for breakfast," she says.

"I still can't believe you suggested it," he replies.

Beca shrugs, not willing to explain why yet. "Yeah, well, thanks for defending me today. I would have understood if you hadn't," she tells him.

"I'm just relieved that you're actually trying to have a real college experience," he replies.

"It hasn't been so bad," she says.

"Don't worry," he tells her. "I'm not asking for specifics. It's probably better that I don't know."

"Oh."

"The important thing is that you're putting yourself out there," he continues. "Making friends, joining in, dating."

"Do we need to talk about me having a girlfriend?" Beca asks.

"I don't know," he replies, taking another sip of coffee. "Do we?"

It's the kind of flippancy that she usually serves him. She takes it to mean that he's fine with the revelation. Not that she expected him to not be; she just hopes he really is okay with it and isn't just pretending to be to avoid a fight.

She shakes her head and he nods in response.

"So, uh, how are your classes?" Beca stammers, not sure what else to talk about.

Her dad smiles as he sets down his coffee mug and begins to give a brief summary of the classes he's teaching this semester.

The arrival of their food makes things a little less awkward. Her dad asks about Beca's classes this semester—he had very little to do with what she's taking currently, unlike first semester. She tries to answer his questions with more than one word in between bites of waffle. The conversation becomes stilted more than once, but they both ignore it and keep trying. And by the end of the meal, Beca thinks that like maybe Aubrey was right; she just had to give her dad a chance.

They don't linger much once they're finished eating; they both have classes soon and need to head back to campus. Her dad leaves cash on the table and they both stand.

"Thanks for breakfast," Beca says as they walk to the car.

"You're welcome," he replies. "It was nice."

"It was," Beca agrees. "Maybe we can do it again sometime."

"I would like that," he says. "And maybe I can get a proper introduction to your girlfriend."

"Yeah. Maybe."

The drive back to campus is quiet but comfortable. They part company in the parking lot with Beca promising to call about having breakfast together again. Beca's not sure if she wants the next time she sees her dad to be when he's also meeting Aubrey—she's definitely not ready for that—but maybe eventually.

Still, Beca's feeling pretty good about the morning—though she's still baffled about who was trying to set her up and why—but at least the Dean didn't punish her **and** her dad really did defend her, which Beca honestly didn't expect, especially considering how he woke her up earlier. Plus, waffles.

And then there's, last night.

Now that being expelled is no longer a worry, Beca lets her mind drift back to the night before. She feels horrible that the first time that she and Aubrey had sex was overshadowed by this. And she really did have such plans for the morning. She's super irritated with whoever was trying to set her up. She and Aubrey have such limited alone time; and not only were they interrupted, they were interrupted by her dad. Pretty much the worst way to be woken up this morning.

She needs to make this up to Aubrey. Beca's pretty sure that Aubrey doesn't blame her, but it still feels necessary. She just needs to figure out how.

 **…**

The idea of Beca getting up early to join Aubrey on her morning runs seems like a joke; it's certainly how Beca took the idea when it was first brought up, even if it was obvious that Aubrey was semi serious. But getting up early voluntarily is just not something Beca does—a fact Aubrey knows very well. Nonetheless, Aubrey still brings it up from time to time.

And the more it's brought up, the more Beca thinks it's something Aubrey really wants to happen, but never believes will. It seems like an excellent way to surprise Aubrey.

The next morning, it's agonizing when Beca's alarm goes off. She changes quickly and slips out quietly, still not awake and moving on auto pilot. Shockingly, she reaches Aubrey's usual starting point before she does—she'd set her alarm extra early, not wanting to miss her girlfriend. Knowing she'll probably fall asleep if she sits, Beca begins stretching—which Aubrey would probably make her do anyway.

The smile of delight that Aubrey has when she sees Beca makes getting up early worth it. Aubrey greets her with a brief kiss and a look of approval that she's stretching. They don't speak as they fall into step with each other. Beca knows that Aubrey is holding back a bit for her, which she appreciates, but she doesn't want to hold her girlfriend back. And so she starts to speed up.

"What are you doing?" Aubrey asks, not even out of breath.

"Running," Beca huffs. "Think you can keep up?"

"You're the one that collapses after cardio during rehearsal," Aubrey reminds her, easily matching Beca's pace. "I don't think you have the endurance to keep up with me."

"Are you doubting my stamina?" Beca pants.

"You're already wheezing," Aubrey points out. "And we've barely begun."

"I am... not... **wheezing** ," Beca gasps out. "I can... handle... anything you... can dish out... Posen."

"Whatever you say, **Mitchell** ," Aubrey chuckles, speeding up even more.

Beca grumbles as she tries to keep up, both charmed and irritated by Aubrey's laughter ahead of her.

It's pure stubbornness that drives Beca forward and allows her to make it as long as she does, but after a half mile of sprinting behind Aubrey, Beca can't run anymore. She wants to crumple to the ground, but she knows her body will punish her later for not cooling down; and so she slows until she's walking, gasping for air.

Eventually though, she gives up and drops to the ground, onto the grass. Aubrey notices that Beca's no longer next to her and sprints back.

"Not bad," Aubrey smirks, jogging in place, next to Beca.

"It's not fair... your legs are longer," Beca huffs.

"I'm sure that's it," Aubrey agrees, still jogging in place.

"Don't patronize me," Beca grumbles, as her breathing starts to even out.

"So you suddenly had the need to go for an early morning run?" Aubrey asks.

Beca sits up and shrugs, not sure how to explain what she's doing. The explanation sounds kind of ridiculous in her mind. "Seemed like something you wanted. So I thought I'd, uh, try."

Aubrey stops jogging in place and glances around. She then takes Beca's hand and pulls her up. Before Beca can ask questions, Aubrey is dragging her to a collection of nearby trees. The trees apparently give enough cover for Aubrey to feel free to back Beca against the bark and thoroughly kiss her. The tree is sharp against her back, but all Beca can focus on is being surrounded by Aubrey. She kisses back, not sure she'll ever get enough of the way Aubrey kisses her with everything she is.

"Not that I'm complaining, but what was that for?" Beca asks when they briefly pause.

"Because I can," Aubrey says, eyes shining with such intense fondness that Beca struggles not to squirm under her gaze.

"Oh," Beca gulps. "Does that mean you'd, uh want me to run with you again tomorrow?"

Beca definitely wasn't expecting sex against a tree when she woke up early this morning—nor is she exactly sure what she said to provoke it from Aubrey—but she's definitely not complaining. Maybe early morning jogs aren't such a bad thing.


	13. Chapter 13

Like before, I end up in the quad after I jump. Ma is under her usual tree, actually studying. She's alone, which is a good sign. Hopefully that means she and mom have kissed and the Treble now knows he has no chance.

But then I have a new worry because Aunt Chloe skips over and plops down next to her. They're sitting particularly close. I watch Aunt Chloe yank ma's headphones off and places them over her own ears. And ma lets her. It's starting to look like I've been worrying about the wrong person.

I lean back against the tree I'm under, at a loss. Nothing I've done seems to have brought my moms together. It feels like screwed up a one in a million chance between them and nothing I do will make them realize that they're meant to be together.

The future I return to, doesn't seem like it'll be the one I remember. I can't handle that thought right now. I glance over at a grinning Aunt Chloe teasing ma as she pretends to be annoyed. I don't know what to think anymore and have to get out of here. I enter a date and time into the watch and press the button.

 **…**

I arrive backstage of an auditorium. It's dark and I can hear singing coming from stage. I slowly make my way towards the music, which I soon realize I recognize. The Bellas are singing. By the time I reach the side of the stage, I can hear ma singing Titanium over the rest of them and I realize that I've jumped to the semi finals performance.

The Bellas exit the stage and I just try to stay out of the way and watch.

"What the hell Beca?!" mom exclaims. "Were you trying to screw us up?"

"Are you serious?" ma retorts.

"Newsflash, this isn't the Beca show," mom tells her.

"Okay, I'm sorry that I messed you up, but in case you hadn't noticed, everybody pretty much dozed off during our set," ma retorts.

"It's not your job to decide what we do and when we do it," mom says. "Why don't you ask the rest of the group how they felt about your improvisation."

Ma looks at the other Bellas. They all avoid her gaze. "Amy?"

"It was cool," Aunt Amy replies. "But... it did take us a little bit by surprise."

"Yeah a lot by surprise," mom snaps.

"A little," Aunt Amy repeats quietly.

Mom crosses her arms and glares at ma. "I knew you weren't worth the effort, that I was wasting my time with you."

"Aubrey..." Aunt Chloe tries.

"What? I told you she wasn't Bella material," mom says. "I knew that I'd—we'd be better off without her. Seems like I was right."

"Aubrey, that's not fair," Aunt Chloe tells her

"Don't bother, Chloe. We both know that Aubrey only cares about winning so she can impress her dad. Newsflash, it's never going to happen, no matter what you do. And we both know **why**."

Red with anger, mom is in ma's space. "At least my dad thought I…" Mom's voice trails off and she takes a step back, as she shakes her head slightly. "I am so sick of your attitude. You're a grade A pain in my ass. You're ungrateful… and I know you're hooking up with Jesse."

"You can't be serious," ma scoffs. "You, of all people, know that's not true."

The Treble walks up behind ma. "Yeah, Aubrey, we're not hooking up. I swear."

Ma spins around angrily. "Of course you're here. This is the last time I'm going to say this. I'm not interested, okay?!"

"And you," ma continues, turning back to face mom. "What the hell were you going to say?"

"It doesn't matter," mom tells her.

"Of course it does," ma seethes.

"You broke the rules, so I figured I would too," mom explains.

"Then why didn't you?"

A guy with a headset suddenly appears. "Trebles? You're up."

"Because I don't want to say anything I can't take back," mom replies.

"Why not? It's not like it matters anymore, right?" ma scoffs.

"Beca, you don't mean that," mom says.

"The hell I don't," ma retorts. "If this is what trying gets you, then I'm done." She steps into mom's space and leans in. "And that includes the two of us. Guess I was wrong again. You and I? One of my dumbest decisions ever." She stalks away, leaving everyone to stare at mom in shock. Except for the guy with a headset, who chases after ma.

Aunt Chloe turns to mom. "Did she just... Aubrey, were you and Beca..."

"Not right now, Chloe," mom snaps, stomping away.

The Treble, irritated, pushes past Aunt Chloe towards the stage. The other Treble Makers follow.

I need to get out of here. I hurry out the same way ma did. But thankfully, she's nowhere to be found as I step into the hallway. I start walking, not sure what else to do. How could I have missed it? My moms have been together the entire time? Apparently stopping ma from getting arrested wasn't as big of screw up as I thought.

Except now it seems that they've broken up. And that my attempts at fixing things might have pushed them towards it. All this time I was trying to help and I was probably just making things worse.

Looking around, I don't really know where I am. Some other random hallway; it doesn't matter. I lean against the hallway wall and try to figure out what to do next.

I slide down the wall and slump to the ground; I've never felt so overwhelmed. If my moms aren't together, then they'll never get married—and it seems highly unlikely now—then ma probably won't be sitting in grams' waiting room when I'm there and we will never meet. And who knows where I'll end up. And it's not like I've **just** ruined my life, but my moms' as well. Now is the perfect time for that Treble to swoop in and really get in between my moms.

I don't realize I'm crying until I drop my head and press my face into my forearm. The wetness surprises me. I wipe it away and pull my knees up to my chin, curling up and letting myself cry.

Once I've cried all I can, I wipe my eyes again. I do feel a bit better. And then the exhaustion hits me; I've been jumping around, trying to fix things and it seems like it's finally catching up to me. Plus, all the time travel is probably messing with me.

I need to talk to Aunt Lily, not the one fifty yards away, but the one who has worked on the watch. Because I've probably screwed up the future pretty bad.

I decide to jump as far into the future—and as close to my present—as the watch will let me. I've screwed up the future pretty bad, so running into a different version of myself seems unlikely. But just in case, I pick a time when I was definitely at Barden. Plus, one cool thing about the watch, it's drawn to Aunt Lily; so that should help make the jump more accurate.

I wipe my eyes again and program the watch. I stand, take a deep breath and push the button.


	14. Chapter 14

Chloe still can't believe that Beca and Aubrey have been dating each other in secret for months. How is that possible? They constantly fight in rehearsal and she's never seen the interact any other time. She would have thought it was some sort of cruel practical joke, except they both seem to know things about each other.

Plus, there's the fact that Chloe's not sure what has Aubrey more upset; the fact that they didn't make it to the finals or what happened between her and Beca.

The bus ride back to Barden is the most tense, awkward situation Chloe's ever experience—and that includes last year after Aubrey puked at Lincoln Center. Though everyone has questions, no one speaks. Chloe figures that they, like her, are afraid of Aubrey exploding again. Not something anyone wants to happen on the bus; they'd be nowhere to escape to.

Even though Chloe too has tons of questions, she has no need to ask them right now. Because what she's feeling the most right now is hurt and betrayed. She can't believe that her best friend kept something like this from her for so long. Why was she so afraid for Chloe to know? True, no one else knew, either, but Chloe always thought she fell under a different category. It's not like Chloe wouldn't have understood. There's just something about Beca Mitchell that draws you in, despite her outward disdain for other people's company. Chloe feels it too, sometimes felt like she was the only one to feel it, thought that maybe Beca felt the same way she did, that maybe the two of them—

Oh.

Well, that would certainly be a good reason to not tell her. Okay, so maybe she's less hurt. Aubrey was obviously afraid of it being an issue; though Chloe still really wishes she would have said something. Yes, she would have been a bit upset, but she would have backed off. She would have spent the last few months trying to solidify her friendship with Beca instead of trying to hint at something else.

As Chloe tries to wrap her head around the situation, she really can't decide what she's more surprised by; the fact that Aubrey likes Beca or that Beca likes Aubrey. Because neither of them ever gave any hint of feelings towards the other. **Everyone** , Chloe, the other Bellas, Jesse, they were all caught off guard by the revelation.

Though she's sad that her Bellas' career is over, she's glad that it's spring break. She needs time to process everything. It seems like the only way to preserve her friendship with Aubrey... and her sanity.

* * *

Chapter Fourteen: Part Two

Aubrey is seething. And torn. She's furious at Beca. How dare she pull that stunt on stage. But what's even worse was what she said after. Aubrey can admit that her temper got ahead of her and she had gotten personal—if you were reading between the lines, which Beca definitely was—but to say that about her dad, especially in front of everyone. Apparently, keeping their relationship separate from the Bellas is too much to ask—from both of them—in times of stress.

The bus is deadly quiet; she feels everyone—except Chloe, who hasn't looked at or spoken to Aubrey since they got on the bus—staring at her, eyes full of questions.

The revelation that she and Beca were dating was a shock to everyone, which isn't surprising. But the fact that Aubrey has to bear the brunt of it makes everything even worse. And though she's still pissed, Aubrey is devastated that Beca ended things. Especially since she was really starting to believe the two of them actually had something real.

Not wanting to think about Beca anymore, her mind returns to the fact that they placed third. Would they have gotten second if Beca hadn't pulled her impromptu song? Aubrey doesn't know. But she knows for sure that it's the reason they got third. And just another sign that Beca still needs to learn how to be a team player.

By the time, they reach Barden, Aubrey's decided that Beca Mitchell is not worth another minute of thought. If she wants Aubrey—and the Bellas—out of her life, then so be it. Aubrey's done with her too. She's going to focus on enjoying spring break and the rest of her senior year.

* * *

Chapter Fourteen: Part Three

Lily's disappointed in her observation skills. How could she have not realized that Beca and Aubrey were already a thing? She must have been distracted trying to right time traveling wrongs, because she's usually so much better. She wonders if this means that Beca and Aubrey were always meant to get together, because it obviously still happened even after their daughter screwed everything up.

Then again, they're obviously not together anymore. It was an impressive break up, for sure. And what makes it worse is that it seems like everything that was tried to push the two of them together was actually pulling them apart.

She wonders where the kid jumped to next—she really should have asked her name, Lily tells herself, but she hadn't wanted to know too much about the future—if she's still jumping around trying to fix things, or if she just gave up.

Lily could intervene, try to fix things; she feels slightly responsible. Not only did her time travel watch allow the screw up to occur, but she's also been—unknowingly—helping make things worse. But at the same time, more interference from her probably isn't what is needed. Nor does she have any idea on what she could do. Well, nothing that would meet Beca junior's approval.

And strangely that seems important, having the kid's approval. Lily knows that she wouldn't have let the girl help with the time travel watch, if she hadn't been someone worth knowing. It also implies that she'll still be friends with Beca and Aubrey in the future, which pleases her. A friendship with Beca seems like the sort that, once she gets better at understanding Lily, would go along with her more interesting ideas. It's an interesting insight into the future.

She doesn't have to make a decision about the situation right away. She can see how things look once they return from break.

* * *

Chapter Fourteen: Part Four

Having the campus mostly to herself is nice. Sure, after being around the Bellas constantly— Chloe, Aubrey...Lily—plus Jesse, the quiet feels louder then Beca remembers. But she's better off alone; and she really did try.

Besides, she's finally allowed in the radio station booth, to play music, her music. It's what she's wanted all year; and it's giving her plenty of ideas for mixes. The fact that they seem to be Bella related or for Aubrey is something Beca can ignore, for now.

It's why she ends up at her dad's house after a few days. She needs to talk to someone about this  
and he's literally one of the few people still talking to her at this point. She ignores the voices in her head that call her pathetic because of this fact.

He doesn't say anything, just invites her in and makes tea, listening as she explains what happened.

"I just didn't expect to care so much," Beca finishes. "And now, I've let them down."

"I'm glad you made connections, but you can't give up at the first sign of conflict."

"Seriously, you're lecturing me about leaving?"

Her dad sighs. "Yes, I left, but it's not like I didn't try to keep in touch. You were the one who didn't reciprocate."

"The occasional phone call—"

"Once a week," he corrects.

"Whatever," she scoffs. "Phone calls don't make up for you being gone."

"They don't," he agrees. "But it was a start."

She doesn't argue and she's thankful that he seems to understand that she's still not ready to truly discuss it. "What do I do about the Bellas?"

"Do you want back in?" he asks.

"I never thought I'd say this, but yeah, I do," she replies.

"Then try apologizing. It usually works," he tells her "What about Aubrey?"

"I fucked that up even worse," Beca tells him.

"Do love her?"

This she knows for sure. "Yeah, I do."

"So what are you going to do about it?" he asks her.

"I..."

"You're the one who told me that you were good for each other," he points out. "You said that she was the reason we started having lunch together. But more importantly, that she makes you happy. Hopefully that hasn't changed."

"It hasn't," Beca agrees. "But I'm not sure that it's enough."

"You'll never know until you try," he says.

"I guess."

"I'm not going to tell you what to do," he says. "Partly because I'm not sure you'd listen."

Beca chuckles.

"But I really do hope you decide you want the Bellas and Aubrey in your life," he tells her. "I think they've helped you have a great year. The kind of year I was hoping you'd have."

"I'll think about it," Beca replies. "Really."

"Thank you," he says. "Do you want to stay for dinner?"

"Uh, yeah, that'd be...nice."

And it is. Conversation stays away from the Bellas and for once, her dad doesn't ask what she plans to do at the end of the year. Shelia isn't so bad. Beca can admit that she's never really given her a chance before. But chatting over dinner, Beca thinks that she might actually like her one day.

When she heads back to campus later that night, Beca's feeling better about her relationship with her dad and step mom. She's still not sure what she's going to do about the Bellas—just because she knows what she should do, doesn't mean she's going to do it—she's already had plenty of growth this year, she's not sure how much more she can stand.

But as she tries to fall asleep later that night, all she can think about is missing Aubrey and the Bellas, forcing her to admit that maybe she needs to try one more time.

* * *

Chapter Fourteen: Part Five

Aubrey feels like a failure. Her Bella career is over and she hasn't redeemed herself, she and Chloe aren't talking, and the surprisingly promising relationship with Beca is over.

When her senior year started, her only concern was getting the Bellas to Lincoln Center again. Anything to silence the echoes of Alice's mocking and her father's judgment. She thought her friendship with Chloe was solid—and maybe it still is, even if it doesn't currently feel like it—and it had been the least of her worries.

And then there's Beca Mitchell, such an unexpected positive, even if she would never tell Beca that. A relationship she hadn't even realized she wanted, needed even; and definitely not with Beca. After Beca had joined the Bellas, Aubrey had been so sure that it would be Chloe who ended up with her, not Aubrey.

But obsessing about all of it does her no good; and Aubrey tries not to spend her break thinking about any of it.

And then the call comes. And everything changes again.

* * *

Chapter Fourteen: Part Six

Aubrey's text definitely catches Chloe off guard. The fact that the Bellas still have a chance go to the finals is incredible news. She's barely able to contain her excitement and it's only the threat of permanent vocal damage that stops her from shouting for joy.

It also means that she and Aubrey will be seeing each other sooner than Chloe was planning. Aubrey's still her best friend, but even after days apart and hours to think, Chloe's still not sure how she feels.

But this is bigger than her friendship with Aubrey. This is about the Bellas, past and future. She can set her issues aside for a little bit longer, especially since she knows Aubrey will definitely be doing the same thing.

The fact that Beca will no longer be part of it saddens Chloe—even if she's still not sure how she feels about most things Beca related. She considers texting her, this year's Bellas just won't be the same without her, but ends up not. Beca not showing up will just be too much of a disappointment.

So instead of thinking about it, Chloe spends the remaining days doing everything required to ensure that she's able to sing when she returns to Barden.

* * *

Chapter Fourteen: Part Seven

When Lily gets the text from Aubrey, she immediately forwards it to Beca. Lily knows that neither of their captains will let her know. She quit after all. Aubrey's too stubborn and Chloe is probably still sorting out her feelings, so it's up to Lily.

Once the text is sent, Lily goes back to celebrating the fact that the Bellas actually made it to the finals. Even if she has no idea what she'll be returning to after break. Actually, that might be the best part.

* * *

Chapter Fourteen: Part Eight

Of all the things Beca expected to see when she entered the auditorium, the absolute chaos she finds—Aubrey, Chloe and Fat Amy wrestling, Stacie blowing her whistle, and Lily making angels in what looks like puke—definitely wasn't what she had in mind.

Aubrey's response to her presence is exactly what Beca was expecting though.

It's easier to apologize than she thought it would be. Seems like her dad was right, not that she'll ever tell him. Beca just hopes that Aubrey understands that when she says, "If you'll have me, I want back in", she isn't just referring to the Bellas.

Though for one, long, nerve wrecking moment, it seems that it doesn't matter how Aubrey interpreted Beca's plea. Both answers are apparently no. But then Aubrey stops her and Beca lets herself hope again.

"Beca, I'm sorry if I was harsh," Aubrey says. "Towards all of you. But my drive to succeed comes from my father and he always said, 'If at first you don't succeed, pack your bags.' "

"I get it, I do, Bree," Beca replies, because she does. "But maybe this time, we could try doing things differently? I think it'll work out better for all of us."

The others voice their approval of this idea, all watching Aubrey for her reaction.

"I suppose that wouldn't be so bad," Aubrey admits, holding out the pitch pipe.

Beca takes it and ignores the urge she has to kiss Aubrey. They probably need to talk first. Instead, she looks around at the rest of the Bellas and gets an idea. "Get your stuff guys. There's something we need to go do."

* * *

Chapter Fourteen: Part Nine

It's honestly been a long time since Aubrey's felt joyful about a cappella. It might have been the reason she joined the Bellas, but Alice quickly took that away. Chloe's presence might have helped her hold onto it longer than she would have alone, but it still happened.

But at the moment, she's only feeling joy. Walking out of the pool with the other Bellas, anything feels possible. Letting go, sharing responsibility and control, means that she can relax a little and maybe actually enjoy being a Bella again.

And there's this thing between her and Beca.

She knows the others probably think she was harsh making Beca wait as long as she did before forgiving her, but hopefully Beca understands why. They still have **a lot** to talk about, but Beca's apology and Aubrey sharing the pitch pipe is definitely a good first step.

Except, now Aubrey's worried that maybe she misread things. Just because Beca used the words, "Aubrey if you'd have me" to request reentry into the Bellas doesn't mean that she was asking Aubrey to give their relationship another chance. Maybe she spent the break realizing that they were better off apart.

"Can we talk?" Aubrey asks Beca, once the Bellas have began splitting up.

"Absolutely," Beca replies.

They end up back in the rehearsal space, because it's the first place they can think to be alone.

Beca surprises Aubrey by almost immediately saying, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said what I said about your dad and I definitely shouldn't have ended things in front of everyone like that."

"I shouldn't have implied that I regretted dating you, because I didn't, I don't," Aubrey replies. "I was just so angry."

"It was only because I did what I did. I really was only trying to help. But I could have done it a different way," Beca tells her. "And we both said things we didn't mean."

"I'm sorry I made you wait so long before," Aubrey adds. "I wasn't trying to be mean."

"I know," Beca replies. "You hadn't really let yourself think about the possibility of us again, because you didn't think it would happen. I caught you off guard again. I should know by now, you don't like surprises."

"I like some," Aubrey says. "I just... how did you even know we'd be there?"

"Lily texted me, actually," Beca answers. "I'm not sure why, but I'm grateful."

"Me too," Aubrey agrees. "Guess it was a good thing she decided to start hanging out with you."

"I guess," Beca says. "Still wish I knew why though."

"So now what?"

"Now? We go talk to Chloe," Beca says.

* * *

Chapter Fourteen: Part Ten

It's been an emotional day and so they all agree to meet the next morning to start strategizing. Chloe heads home, knowing that Aubrey and Beca need to talk. It's good because Chloe thinks she needs a little more time to figure things out too. She plants herself on the couch and turns on the TV; she doesn't pay attention, just needs the noise.

Chloe feels hopeful that her relationship with Aubrey will remain intact and as strong as always. Her feelings about the past year are out in the open, even if they were screamed. It's a start anyway.

Aubrey and Beca appear much sooner than Chloe was expecting. She'd thought for sure they'd have a lot to talk about. But their joined hands as they enter suggests they've already patched things up. There are definitely a few things she's missing about their relationship.

"Hey guys," Chloe starts. "Didn't expect to see you two for a while."

"We covered the basics," Beca shrugs. "Thought we'd take care of something else, equally important first."

"What's that?"

"Making sure you're okay," Aubrey answers.

Chloe still doesn't feel ready to have this conversation with the both of them.

Which they both seem to sense. "Separately," Aubrey adds. "Your choice who goes first."

"Do we have to do this now?" Chloe asks.

"No," Beca replies. "But if we don't, I doubt we'll be able to until after the finals. You know how this one is about rehearsing."

"Watch it," Aubrey tells her, pulling her hand from Beca's.

"Truth hurts, huh?" Beca smirks, quickly regrabbing Aubrey's hand in hers.

Are these really the same two people who used to spend half of rehearsal fighting? "So does this mean that rehearsals will be argument free now?"

"Doubtful," Beca says.

"Definitely not," Aubrey agrees.

"We kind of like arguing with each other," Beca adds.

"Is that why you were always fighting during rehearsals?" Chloe asks.

"That and so no one would realize we were dating," Aubrey answers.

"Well it worked," Chloe tells them. "I honestly still don't believe it."

"Maybe after we talk?" Beca offers.

"Maybe," Chloe agrees. "Do you mind if I talk to Aubrey first?"

"Not at all," Beca replies. "I'll just wait in Bree's room. Let me know when you're ready to talk." She turns to Aubrey and kisses her chastely on the lips, before strolling towards Aubrey's bedroom.

"So," Aubrey says, dropping onto the couch next to Chloe. "What do you want to talk about first?"

 **…**

A few hours later, the three of them are sitting on the couch eating pizza and watching _Rent_. Because according to Beca, movie musicals don't count as movies. Whatever. Chloe still can't believe how easily Beca got Aubrey to agree to order pizza. Actually, she didn't even ask, she just announced that they were. Chloe had been expecting an argument, especially after learning that they actually enjoy fighting with each other, but there'd been none. It was almost as surprising as learning that Beca sometimes goes running with Aubrey in the mornings. Beca does **not** do mornings. That's something Chloe learned early on; never once did Beca get up early at Chloe's request, no matter how much she pleaded and pouted.

She supposes it's just two more pieces of evidence that they love each other, which both admitted freely when asked. Truthfully, she's going to need some time to process everything she's learned over the last few hours. Hearing the whole story of how they got together, dated in secret and why they broke up, from both their point of views has her feeling overwhelmed.

At least she feels better about her friendships with both of them. The hurt of betrayal from Aubrey has faded, now that Chloe understands; and the sense of limbo she's been feeling with Beca has finally been explained. She'll probably still feel a bit awkward around them for a while, but she knows that'll go away soon.

In fact, she's looking forward to watching them work together on the new set list. She hasn't really been paying attention to the movie, instead she's been observing the two of them together. It's not just that they're curled up together on the couch. It's how relaxed and familiar they are with each other. If she hadn't believed them before about being in a relationship, she definitely does now. They're at ease with each other in a way that screams intimacy; and not just physical, emotional too. Something that she knows doesn't come easily to either of them. And if the relationship can survive being kept a secret, then maybe the two of them have a shot at something genuine.

Chloe's optimism has returned. Her friendship with Aubrey is as strong and steady as always, she and Beca are finally on the same page, and the Bellas have a real shot at winning the ICCA finals with Aubrey actually allowing input from others on the set list. The next couple weeks are going to be one hell of a ride.


	15. Chapter 15

I arrive on an actual street and begin walking until I find a bus stop. I figure I can take one to Aunt Lily's. Once I find one, I sit on the bench and study the map, trying to figure out where I am and what buses I'll need to take. A few minutes later, as a bus pulls up, I dig the money I "borrowed" from the Treble out of my pocket.

It takes two transfers, but I finally make it to Aunt Lily's. I follow three other people off the bus and walk a block to her apartment. I hit the buzzer, praying that she's home.

"It's Claire, Aunt Lily," I say into the intercom and am buzzed in. I dash up the two flights of stairs because I don't feel like waiting for the elevator. I still have my key, so I let myself in.

Aunt Lily is in the kitchen, making tea. I sit at the table and a moment later, she's setting my favorite green mug in front of me. I take a sip and am greeted with the familiar flavor of mint. She sips her tea also, her eyes on the watch.

"Run into some problems with the watch?" she questions, chuckling.

"I think I screwed up my future," I tell her. "Mine and my moms'."

"Well, obviously not too badly," Aunt Lily replies. "Since I'm still here and know who you are."

She makes a good point. Except, "You knew who I was in the past. Sort of." I look around the kitchen. "What year is it?"

"2029."

I sigh. "I misjumped again. I was trying to get to 2037."

"Your fault for using the watch before it was finished," she says.

How the hell does she know that? "It was an accident!"

"What did you screw up?" she asks.

"My moms getting together," I answer. "I stopped it from happening. Or at least I thought I did. And then I made things worse by trying to fix it. Because apparently it didn't need to be fixed. Except I didn't realize it. And now they'll never get married and they'll definitely never adopt me."

"You sure about that?" Aunt Lily asks.

"I saw it myself," I explain. "It was a really bad fight."

"When?" she asks.

"Uh... your first year at Barden. At the semis," I think out loud. "Ma totally went off book and mom was so pissed. It was a huge argument."

"Mmm," Aunt Lily nods. "That explains it."

"Explains what?"

She doesn't answer, just takes another sip of her tea.

"Explains what?" I repeat.

"You're going to finish your tea, and then I'm going to program the watch, so you can go back and see that things work out the way they're supposed to," she tells me.

"But what about—"

"And you're not going to interfere at all," she continues. "You're just going to watch."

"What aren't you telling me?" I ask her.

"It's better if you see it yourself," she explains.

I stare at her, trying to understand. But it's impossible, especially when I'm tired from time travel. So with a sigh, I hand over the watch. And as I finish my tea, I watch her program it. Once my tea is finished, she hands it back. I slip it back on and she wishes me luck, before I push the button again.

I arrive in a dark corner of an auditorium. I recognize it as Lincoln Center from having seen multiple Bellas performances here.

Currently on stage are a bunch of guys in dark red suit jacks, who I know have to be the Treble Makers. The performance is good—I can grudgingly admit—but that doesn't mean I can't still hate the Treble who was always after ma. I'm struck with a horrifying thought, watching them. Hopefully he and ma haven't... connected after things ended between my moms.

The Treble Makers finish their song and stream off stage, walking into the audience and sitting in a row near the front.

The Bellas are announced and I watch them walk on stage. I have actually seen this performance before. So many of their performances are available online and I've watched all of them, most multiple times. But to be able to see this one, the one that started so much, will be awesome.

Though I've seen this performance multiple times over the years, it's even more amazing live. Their energy is palpable and their delight, obvious. The crowd's enjoyment of their set just adds to the building excitement.

I've mostly gotten used to seeing these younger versions of my moms and Aunts, but this is different. Watching them dance and sing on stage, joyful and having fun, is like a gift.

They finish with a flourish and I join the crowd, applauding wildly. They must be feeling pleased with their performance as well, because after a few beats, they all jump up and begin hugging. And though it's not easy to see from the back, I try to locate my moms in the huddle of blue. Only to be completely shocked when I see mom grab ma and kiss her. The other Bellas don't seemed phased by it; they continue their celebration. Nor does the audience stop its applause. They break apart just in time to follow the other Bellas off the stage, hand in hand, ma leading mom.

Their row of seats is in front of the Trebles Makers and when ma gets near the flirty Treble, he reaches out to stop her. I'm much too far away to hear, but judging by the expression of disbelief on ma's face and annoyance on mom's, he is angry that my moms kissed on stage.

Ma and the Treble hiss angrily back and forth, but then he turns to mom and says something. Whatever it is, causes ma to grab him by his suit jacket and threaten something in his ear. He straightens up, trying to retain his dignity, says something to mom—an apology, I presume—and then sits back down in his seat.

The Bellas do a little maneuvering so that my moms aren't sitting anywhere near him and everyone settles in to watch the remaining groups.

Thankful that I didn't mess up as badly as I thought—or that things worked out as they should—I check the watch, knowing I should go back. Only to see a timer on the screen. Apparently Aunt Lily programmed it to only allow me to be here for a limited amount of time. I assume the next time I jump to will be my own.

Though a little insulted that she thought I couldn't make it back on my own, I'm also relieved. Knowing that I'll be going back to the right future, a future I didn't destroy, actually allows me to relax for a moment. And then I remember that I'm probably going to be in big trouble when I get back. I'm in for a lecture for sure. I begin to mentally brace myself for it as the timer ends and I jump again.

 **…**

I arrive back in Aunt Lily's workshop, only to find both my moms and Aunt Lily waiting for me. Mom is obviously furious, though I know part of it has to be worry. Ma seems torn between amusement and trying to be angry, something I've seen on the rare instances where I got into serious trouble over the years. Aunt Lily, meanwhile, immediately pulls the watch off my wrist.

"You're lucky you made it back," she tells me. "There are still a lot of bugs to work out."

"I know," I agree. "It wasn't as smooth as trip as I had hoped it'd be."

"Well, it could be because you weren't doing it right," Aunt Lily replies. "After all, I haven't had a chance to go over the changes I've made the last few weeks."

"Like how you program the date and location?" I question.

"Had some problems with that, I'm guessing?" Aunt Lily muses. "I suppose I can go over that with you later."

"No you won't be," mom interjects. "Because you, young lady, are grounded. I cannot believe that you would actually be so irresponsible to time travel without knowing what you're doing, or at least telling someone that you were going."

"But mom, it wasn't intentional," I protest. "I didn't mean to. I was excited to see Aunt Lily's progress."

"And what, it just latched itself onto your wrist and thrust you into the past?" mom scoffs.

"Okay," I start. "So maybe picking up the watching and pressing buttons probably wasn't the smartest move—"

"You think?" ma chuckles. "Sorry, kid, but you're in major trouble here."

Mom sighs. "That's not helping, Beca."

"Wasn't trying to," ma replies. "She's nineteen, Bree. You can't exactly ground her, anymore. Besides, the fact that she's an adult, she doesn't actually live at home."

"She does for the next week," mom points out. "So I'm grounding her for that long."

"Except her only plans for this break were to spend time with the two of us and Lily, I'm not sure how this grounding is supposed to work," ma says.

"What about Riley?" mom asks.

"Her break was last week, remember?" I tell her. "She's not around."

"Well, then you're not allowed to help Lily out this week, then," mom announces.

"But she needs my help."

"Considering that you somehow managed to accidently time travel with an my unfinished time travel watch, I'm not so sure about that anymore," Aunt Lily says. "And though I never thought I'd ever say this, but I agree with Aubrey."

"Thanks, I guess," mom says.

"It's the prolonged exposure," ma says to Aunt Lily. "Eventually, you just find yourself agreeing with her."

This earns ma an elbow to the side from mom.

"So violent," ma mutters, rubbing her side.

Mom rolls her eyes and ma kisses mom on the cheek in apology.

"But your mom is right," Aunt Lily says. "So after I debrief you on what you went through, on what worked and what didn't, I guess you're grounded."

"Come on guys, seriously?" I groan.

"What if we didn't ground her?" ma asks.

"Beca Mitchell-Posen, if you are suggesting that our daughter, who stupidly traveled back in time with an unfinished time traveling watch, shouldn't be punished—"

"That's not what I'm saying, Bree," ma interjects. "I just think we need a different punishment. After all, she did prevent me from getting arrested."

"You remember that?" I question.

"Of course I remember that," she replies. "However, it wasn't until Lily called to tell us that you'd traveled back in time, that I realized it was you."

"Oh."

"Yeah. Oh," she says. "A few other things have started to fall into place as well. The flooding, for example."

I swallow nervously at the stern tone in ma's voice. "Ma, I—"

"So this is what I propose," she says. "From now on you are only allowed to help Lily over Skype. You are no longer allowed in this lab after today—"

"But **ma**..."

"Second," ma continues ignoring me. "This summer, instead of working with Lily, you'll be helping out your mom at the lodge, whatever she needs, free of charge. Consider it an internship of sorts."

Mom's grinning adoringly at ma, so the plan obviously has her approval. I glance over at Aunt Lily who is nodding.

"Excellent," ma says. "I'm sure Lily has some questions she wants to ask you. So your mom and I will be waiting for you in the car."

"Okay."

"And don't think this conversation is over, young lady," mom adds. "This discussion will continue when we get home."

"Fine," I sigh.

"Good," ma says. She turns to Aunt Lily. "We'll leave you two to it." She exits the lab, tugging mom behind her

"I'll be recording this, of course," Aunt Lily tells me, pulling my focus.

"All right," I reply, finding a chair. I figure this is going to take a while.

"First question," Aunt Lily starts, holding up her phone and aiming it at me. "What did you think of the new way to program the day and time?"

 **…**

The drive home is deadly quiet. Not even the radio is on, which is a rare occurrence in ma's car. I think about apologizing again, but I doubt it'll do much good. Besides, all things considered, I suppose I'm getting off easy? Working for mom over the summer is something I've done before; and getting to spend time with mom has never been a punishment. Doing it for free, is definitely a negative, but I know my punishment could have been a lot worse.

When we pull into the garage, mom gets out without saying a word. Ma lingers a bit and we walk into the house together.

"Glad you're okay, kid," she says, wrapping an arm around me.

"Thanks, ma," I reply, leaning into her.

"But there are definitely a few things we still need to discuss," she continues.

"I know." We're in the doorway of the kitchen and I wrap my arms around her, thankful that I can. Several times in the past, I had been so sure I'd ruined the future and the possibility of family. My relief at realizing I hadn't was akin to the joy I felt when my adoption became official.

Ma hugs me back, but I can tell she's a bit confused by the tightness. After a long moment she says, "You're an excellent hugger, kid, but you're not changing your punishment."

I hear mom laugh as I push away from ma. "That's not why I was hugging you." I half stomp over to the table and sit down.

They sit across from me, and mom hands ma and I a bottle of water; a sure sign that this isn't going to be a short conversation.

And it's definitely not. Mom demands that I tell them everything that happened while I was gone. And though it's a struggle, I manage to tell them everything I remember about being in the past. Of course, it also means I have to try and justify all the choices I made. Stopping ma from getting arrested is easy enough; something they both definitely appreciate. They laugh at my attempts with the music and the rose. And I'm forced to defend myself since they've never done romance normally. Trying to justify locking them in a closet ends up being a long conversation.

"I just don't understand why," ma tells me. "Seriously, what was your logic?"

"I was getting desperate," I reply. "Plus, why does it matter? Mom got you out pretty quick."

"That's not the point, Claire," mom says.

"It has to be part of it," I argue. "I mean, it'd be one thing if you'd been stuck in there for hours, but you guys were out in less than thirty minutes."

"So you're saying that you truly thought locking us in a closet would make us realize we have feelings for each other?" mom questions.

I shrug. "It works in the movies."

Ma scoffs.

"Just be glad it was me coming up with ideas and not Aunt Lily," I add. "Her ideas were a little more intense."

"I'm sure," mom murmurs.

"Which has me questioning your choice to flood the Dean's office," ma states. "What good could have possibly come from me being expelled?"

"Expelled?" I exclaim. "I just thought you'd be in big trouble. Maybe be on probation for the rest of the year."

"You caused deliberate property destruction of the Dean's office," mom replies. "And then framed your ma."

"I know," I say. "I was beyond desperate. Obviously. It's just from the outside... it looked like ma's interest was elsewhere. Drastic measures had to be taken."

"And what exactly were you trying to accomplish?" ma asks.

"Before, in the, uh, other timeline, it seemed like you guys only kissed because ma was arrested," I explain. "And since I stopped that from happening, I thought ma getting in trouble for something else would maybe trigger something."

"That is so your kind of logic," mom tells ma.

"No way," ma argues. "She definitely got that from you."

"You can't be serious," mom replies. "You're the one who once tried to convince your parents you hadn't broken the window, a bird throwing a rock did."

"I was five," ma protests. "No, this is definitely all your fault."

"How is this my fault?" mom question. "Accidently going back in time? Screwing up the past? Trying to fix it and not succeeding? That sounds like something out of your playbook."

"So you've thought a lot about this?" ma asks. "Or is your default setting that it's just always my fault?"

"I notice that you didn't deny anything," mom says.

"Because you wouldn't believe me if I did," ma retorts. "And don't think I didn't noticed how you didn't answer my question."

"Why do you ask questions you already know the answer to?" mom counters.

"You are un-freaking-believable—"

" **Guys** ," I interject. "It's my fault. And only my fault. I messed up big time and I know how so very lucky that everything worked out the same."

Both mom and ma turn to me, wearing identical grins.

"We're glad you think so," mom says. "That means in three months, they'll be no complaining about your punishment. Correct?"

I groan. I hate when they do that. "No. There won't be."

"Excellent, glad to hear it," mom says.

"Why don't you go up to your room?" ma suggests. "You look like you could use a nap. We can talk more at dinner later."

I nod as I stand. As I take a step towards the doorway, ma joins me and pulls me into a tight hug. As soon as she lets go, mom is there, wrapping her arms around me as well.

"I love you guys," I tells them.

"We love you too, sweetie," mom says. "You should go rest. We'll let you know when dinner is ready."

Grabbing my water bottle off the table, I head up the stairs to my room. I hear the murmur of them talking and fight the urge to stay and enjoy their presence. I really am exhausted. Sleeping in my own bed sounds amazing. I also could use a shower and a fresh change of clothes. Maybe after dinner. Fatigue is definitely starting to settle over me.

Flopping onto my bed, I let out a heavy sigh of relief. Except even though my eyes fall shut easily, I'm almost too worn out to sleep. It's okay, because I'm just so glad everything turned out okay. I made it home, my moms are still together and things seem mostly the same. I'm sure there are minor changes here and there—there always are—but the important things are still the same, so I'm counting it as a success. Well, more of a haphazard, accidental, massive screw up on my part; but thankfully it all worked out. Same difference.

Laying there, my eyes start to close. In my own bed, finally being able to relax, I can feel how truly drained I am. But being surrounded by the familiar, comforting glow of my yellow room, I feel myself drifting off. And then I bolt up quickly as something occurs to me. "Didn't my room used to be blue?"


End file.
